Niti Aayog cites 'fragile finances' for AI disinvestment:Sinha

The Niti Aayog cited Air India's "fragile finances" as the main reason for recommending the airline's disinvestment, Union Minister Jayant Sinha informed the Rajya Sabha today.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), on June 28, gave in-principle nod for the strategic disinvestment of Air India and its five subsidiaries. In its recommendations, the Niti Aayog had given the rationale for the disinvestment of Air India and attributed the main reason as "fragile finances" of the company, Sinha said in a written reply.

"Niti Aayog in its report on Air India says that further support to an unviable non-priority company in a matured and competitive aviation sector would not be the best use of scarce financial resources of the government," he said. The minister of state for civil aviation was responding to a query on the main reasons behind the proposed disinvestment of Air India. "Air India has been incurring continuous losses and has huge accumulated losses," he said.

NITI Aayog submitted its recommendations (fourth tranche) on strategic disinvestment of the central public sector enterprises on May 12. To take forward the CCEA decision, an Air India Specific Alternative Mechanism has been set up.