Private ownership is nothing new, successful privatisations have led to consolidation & access to capital

Air India’s privatisation is the latest in a long line of such moves across the world. In 1988, when the Indian government first proposed the carrier’s privatisation, it was inspired by that of British Airways (BA). BA initial public offering (IPO) in 1987 was part of the Margaret Thatcher government’s several such exercises. The BA stock was oversubscribed 11 times.