Govt will seek bids for Air India ‘in a matter of weeks’, says Hardeep Singh Puri

The Centre will issue an expression of interest for the privatisation of debt-ridden Air India “in a matter of weeks", civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri said Tuesday. In November, the minister had told Parliament that the carrier might have to shut down if it was not privatised. However, at a press conference Tuesday, Puri said the airline won’t be shut down and exuded confidence that investor response would be favourable, considering Air India’s robust service network on domestic and international routes, besides its strong brand recall. “Air India is a national asset. The Maharaja is a great brand, owns 120 aircraft, half of which are owned and the rest leased.… We want an Indian entity to acquire it for strategic objectives," he said. <br/>