Single mega airline to face challenges

New Delhi: With the Union Cabinet approving the merger plan of the two State-owned carriers, Air India and Indian Airlines, the Civil Aviation Ministry is gearing up to complete the formalities over the next few weeks.
Aviation experts feel that the single mega airline will face the challenge of different fleet compositions, reservation and tickets on domestic and international sectors, integration of human resources, training of pilots, maintaining spares, engineering and jet shops and maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities.
The most time-consuming and challenging process can well turn out to be route rationalisation on the international sectors where both Air India and Indianserve as well as adopting a common ticketing and reservation system in all cities of their operations. Both airlines have gone for e-ticketing and Indianrecently launched web check-in facility as well.
The merged entity, ranking among the top 25 airlines in the world and among the top 10 in Asia-Pacific, will have special business units carved out to look after its interests and carry on business. The special units will look after MRO facilities, jetshop, cargo, ground handling and low cost carriers. Each special unit is likely to be headed by a chief executive officer.
The subsidiaries of Air India and Indian— Air India Express and Alliance Air — will also become one and offer low-cost travel in some of the domestic and international sectors.
05/03/07 Vinay Kumar/The Hindu

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Categories: Air India Mar 2007, indian mar 2007