In a fresh plea to the government for funds, the outgoing Chairman of Air India Ashwani Lohani has written a Facebook post saying Air India needs to survive till it is sold. Lohani’s comment comes almost approx. 60 days ahead of completion his term ending 14.02.2020. He recently highlighted the airline’s grim financial health in a letter to the civil aviation ministry.

This is to recall that over the past few months, Air India is seeking government guarantee to raise a Rs 2,000-crore loan. So far, the government has not acted on the request. The airline would default on payment obligations if capital is not raised.

Air India is losing Rs 150-200 crore each month despite 10 per cent year-on-year increase in revenue. Liquidity situation remains extremely tight and salary for the month of November was disbursed on December 11. Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri’s recent remark that the government would shut down the airline if fails to find a buyer has also made travel agents and vendors jittery.

“Air India needs to survive till it is sold. I wonder why is it so difficult for this appreciation to sink in and also that in this environment of disinvestment, expecting a radical improvement bordering on a turnaround is an impractical thought. That output can be given sans input is a grossly impractical thought,” Lohani writes in his post.