Air India recorded 11% revenue growth in 2017-18, says CMD

Disinvestment-bound Air India registered around 11% growth in revenue, as the airline’s fiscal and performance parameters were good in the last financial year, according to its chief Pradeep Singh Kharola. The loss-making national carrier also recorded 80% passenger load factor in 2017-18 amid the government preparing for its strategic disinvestment. Kharola said on Thursday that the performance parameters of the airline had been good in the last financial year. “… the financials are being firmed up but fiscal parameters have been good (in 2017-18),” the chairman and managing director of the airline said. In 2016-17, the airline raked in total revenue of Rs 22,177.68 crore compared to Rs 20,610.33 crore in the same period a year ago, as per the annual report.

About the carrier’s on-time performance (OTP) in the last fiscal, Kharola said there has been a ‘marked improvement’ on an year-on-year basis. He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a conference here. On March 28, the government came out with the preliminary information memorandum for the strategic disinvestment of Air India, wherein it plans to offload 76% as well as cede management control to private players. In February, the civil aviation ministry said Air India has been ‘consistently improving’ its overall performance and more than doubled its operating profit to Rs 298.03 crore in 2016-17. During the same period, the airline’s net loss widened to Rs 5,765.16 crore. In 2015-16, Air India had an operating profit of Rs 105 crore while net loss stood at Rs 3,836.77 crore.

Air India