Civil aviation minister Hardeep Puri on Thursday said the government will completely exit Air India, and there is already significant interest among prospective buyers for it. “Air India should be totally privatised. We have to get the best possible deal and we have to get it in the shortest possible time available,” Puri told reporters.
The government had decided to retain 26% stake in the national carrier during the last attempt for sale, which, according to the transaction adviser, spooked the prospective buyers. No bidder had turned up to invest in the debt-laden carrier when the deadline for expression of interest expired on May 31, 2019.
The group of ministers for Air India’s sale, headed by home minister Amit Shah, is expected to meet soon.
