The Indian government is likely to hand over Air India to the Tata Group on Thursday, nearly 69 years after it was taken from the conglomerate, officials said on Wednesday.
After a competitive bidding process, the government had on October 8 last year sold Air India to Talace Private Limited – a subsidiary of the Tata Group’s holding company – for Rs 18,000 crore.
Meanwhile the Tata Group has taken its first step at Air India by introducing “enhanced meal service” in four flights that will operate from Mumbai on Thursday, the officials said.
However, Air India flights will not be flying under the banner of the Tata Group from Thursday itself, they stated.
In a related development, two airline pilot unions – Indian Pilots’ Guild (IPG) and Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association (ICPA) – on Monday warned Air India’s CMD Vikram Dev Dutt of legal action as “multiple deductions and recoveries have been projected” on the dues owed to pilots.
“This recovery exercise is entirely illegal, and we demand that this anomaly is rectified and the amount due is repaid with immediate effect,” the letter sent by the two unions said.
Additionally, two other unions have opposed the carrier’s January 20 order to check grooming and measure the body mass index (BMI) of cabin crew members at the airports just before their flights.
These unions – Air India Employees’ Union (AIEU) and All India Cabin Crew Association (AICCA) – on Monday wrote to Dutt opposing the order on the grounds that it is dehumanising and in violation of rules prescribed by aviation regulator DGCA.