A soaring decision

But govt should not delay Air India's disinvestment

The Union Cabinet’s approval in principle for disinvesting the government’s stake in Air India is a momentous and welcome move. For far too long, Air India has struggled to be financially viable and yet several previous attempts to offload the government’s stake in the airline have come a cropper. So have attempts to bring about a turnaround in the operations of the airline by heavily subsidising it. The last such attempt was made in 2012 when the United Progressive Alliance government opted for an equity infusion of over Rs 30,000 crore. Yet the airline has neither adequately improved its service