The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Friday invited proposals for recruitment of an asset valuer for disinvestment of Air India. Interested parties are required to submit their proposals by October 16. According to document uploaded by the Department of Divestment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM), the government has in-principle decided to consider the disinvestment of the Air India group as a whole or its constituents fully or part thereof through strategic sale with transfer of management control.

NEW DELHI: The government has decided to sell some of Air India's real estate directly to expedite the state-owned carrier's divestment. This follows the discovery that some of the assets are not owned by the carrier but on a 99-year lease from the government.

"Properties where the government has the ownership will go back to the government, which will sell it on behalf of Air India," said a senior aviation ministry official who did not want to be named. Air India officials confirmed that two such properties in Delhi owned by the urban development ministry have already been identified.

Air India on Saturday launched the first non-stop flight service between India and Denmark.

The national carrier will fly non-stop from Delhi to Denmark's capital Copenhagen — its 44th international destination.

New Delhi: The government plans road shows for Air India Ltd in India and abroad as it proceeds to sell the airline, according to a note it released on Thursday evening.

In its detailed tender requesting for proposals for engagement of advisers for strategic disinvestment in Air India and its subsidiaries, one of the tasks outlined for the adviser is of “conducting road shows in India and abroad”.

An Air India pilot union has expressed apprehension over the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)’s reported warning to pilots for not complying with post-flight breath analysis test on international flights.

“We have come to know that DGCA is contemplating suspending licences of 132 pilots and 400 cabin crew…Kindly enlighten us as to why DGCA official in charge of Air Safety did not conduct any audit for the past two years,” Indian Commercial Pilots' Association (ICPA) General Secretary Captain T. Praveen Keerthi said in a letter to DGCA chief B.S.Bhullar on Monday.

National carrier Air India has deferred the delivery of at least one A320 neo aircraft due to issues with CFM-manufactured engine, sources said.

The development also comes at a time when no-frills carriers -- IndiGo and GoAir -- have grounded at least 11 A320 neo aircraft due to problems in their Pratt and Whitney engines.

With over 500 of its pilots and cabin crew coming under the DGCA scanner for skipping mandatory alcohol tests, Air India has told the regulator that there has been no violation even as a pilots’ grouping has threatened to go on protest if any action is taken. The DGCA has found 132 pilots and 434 cabin crew of Air India to have allegedly skipped the mandatory pre- and post- flight alcohol test this year and they face the prospect of being grounded. Air India pilots’ union ICPA has threatened to go on protest against a senior official at the DGCA if the airline staff are suspended.

The inter-ministerial group (IMG) that is to decide on the contours of Air India’s divestment is evaluating all options and is still in the process of receiving suggestions, Union civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju told FE in an interview. “Let’s not go into any kind of speculation at this moment. The group of ministers has just met twice and is still in the process of inviting suggestions. As part of the group we are looking into all the possible options to make Air India a vibrant airline,” the minister explained.

India's aviation regulator DGCA has found 132 pilots and 434 cabin crew of state-owned Air India to have allegedly skipped the mandatory pre and post-flight alcohol test this year and they face the prospect of being grounded.

These crew members had regularly been "evading" the breath analyser (BA) test over a period of time for flights to and from certain destinations such as Singapore, Kuwait, Bangkok, Ahmedabad and Goa, sources close to the development told PTI today.

Air India has dubbed travel agents its "principal customers" and wants them to shoulder the task of the goods and service tax-related invoicing of corporate customers.

The move will reduce the workload of the airline. But agents may have to hire more staff to complete the formalities.

Under the GST, economy-class air travel and business-class travel is charged at 5 per cent and 12 per cent, respectively. Companies purchasing tickets for staff travel can claim an input credit on tax payment.

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