Air India has no takers day before deadline, but govt expects bids to pour in

t's not too late yet. If you want to own the Maharaja of the skies, you still have all of today and tomorrow to let the government know. Who knows -- you could even be the first bidder.

That's right. RN Choubey, the civil aviation secretary, says the government hasn't yet received bids - the business term is Expressions of Interest (EoI) - for Air India, India's national carrier.

But the government isn't losing hope - not yet. Choubey says bids are expected to "pour in at the last hour."

What's more, he says the deadline for EOI submission won't be extended again (It was already extended from May 14 to May 31).

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On March 28, the government unveiled plans to sell up to a 76 per cent stake in the loss-making carrier, and transfer the management control to private players.

The profitable Air India Express and the joint venture AISATS -- an equal joint venture between the national carrier and the Singapore-based SATS Ltd -- will also be a part of the disinvestment process.

The Civil Aviation Ministry has tweaked certain conditions in a corrigendum to the global invitation issued for EoIs. You can read more about them here.

Inputs from PTI

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