Indigo shows interest in Air India after cabinet's in-principal nod to disinvestment

The cabinet on Wednesday gave in-principle approval to disinvest from Air India.

Private carrier IndiGo became the first airline to express interest in buying Air India, reports said.

Civil aviation secretary RN Choubey offered no immediate information on the interest shown by IndiGo, which commands a majority share of India's domestic airline market, reports Indiatoday.

"There has been interest shown for Air India. IndiGo has approached the ministry with a formal expression of interest proposal," Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju told IANS.

"Other airlines have also shown interest in Air India, but they have not submitted any formal proposals as yet," he added.

When contacted, an official from IndiGo said that the airline was "observing a silent period".

The cabinet on Wednesday gave in-principle approval to disinvest from Air India, which has consolidated debt around Rs 50,000 crore, even as the merger between the Air India and Indian Airlines approved in 2007 did not lead to the desired benefits.

However, there is no update from the government whether the buyer of Air India will also have to bear the burden of debt.

(With agency inputs)