Air India's domestic, global operations to be sold together

However, the government is still in the process of identifying which subsidiaries of Air India should be offered separately.

Union minister Jayant Sinha on Friday said the domestic and international operations of Air India would be sold together.

The government has initiated the process for strategic divestment of debt-laden Air India as part of efforts to revive the national carrier.

"What we will be offering through the bidding process is the integrated airline (Air India), which means both domestic and international operations (together)," Sinha said in New Delhi.

On the divestment process, he said the government is still in the process of identifying which subsidiaries of Air India should be offered separately.

"Even if they are offered separately, if you want to bid for each one of them and re-integrate them, we are providing flexibility," the minister said.

Air India has a debt burden of more than Rs 50,000 crore.

Photograph: Vivek Prakash/Reuters