Air India director dispels rumours of closing operations

"There have been rumours going around in travel market that Air India may be closing down its operations. I wish to take this opportunity to clarify that these rumours are baseless," Meenakshi Mallik said.

New Delhi: Air India Limited commercial director Meenakshi Mallik has written letters to all travel partners clarifying that all rumours regarding the national carrier closing down its operations were baseless.

"There have been rumours going around in travel market that Air India may be closing down its operations. I wish to take this opportunity to clarify that these rumours are baseless," Mallik said in the letter.

Earlier on January 4, Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Air India (AI) Ashwani Lohani on Saturday had dismissed rumours regarding the shutting down of operations of the public carrier.

"Rumours regarding Air India shutting down or closing operations, are baseless. AI would continue to fly and expand," said Lohani in a statement.

Asserting that the national carrier is still India's biggest airline, he said that there should be "no cause for concern to travellers, corporates or agents."

The response from the airline comes two days after Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri met with several representatives of the Air India unions regarding the privatisation of the national carrier.

The government had on Tuesday said the privatisation of debt-ridden Air India has become a compulsion as fear grows about its shutdown.

"I had said earlier also, for us, it is not an option. Air India has to be privatised," Puri said.

The Minister had also said that Air India's debt has made it unsustainable and it needs to go into private hands to keep it running.

"Air India over a period of time has now gathered debt, which could be described as unsustainable," Puri said.