After failed stake sale bid, govt has new plan for Air India: Will it work?

The biggest argument against the likelihood of a quick turnaround is the fact that anybody who is somebody in the Indian commercial air travel industry is losing money

Earlier this year, the government failed to privatise Air India when its offer to offload its 76% stake in it drew a blank. Thereafter, the Niti Aayog advised the government to first turn the national carrier around and then sell it to get a decent price.

A recent report in Business Standard, quoting unnamed government sources, carries a fairly detailed account of what the Centre wishes to do to turn Air India around.

The idea is to give it an autonomous board and empower it suitably, thus enabling it to put in place a professional management. The board already has the benefit