Merged Air India to come into being any time now

New Delhi: The much-awaited, keenly debated merger of the two public sector carriers - Air India and Indian Airlines - into a single airline is almost complete and the emergence of the new entity, the National Aviation Company of India Limited (NACIL), is awaiting a formal order from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA).
With NACIL being the parent company, the post-merger brand name will be Air India with two other business arms: Air India Express — the low cost carrier that flies to destinations in the Gulf and will launch domestic operations as well — and Air India Cargo — the new separate, dedicated freighter service.
After a comprehensive meeting here on Wednesday that reviewed the ongoing merger process, V. Thulasidass, Chairman and Managing Director of Air India, told reporters that the legal process of merger would be over once the airline received the order from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. “We expect it anytime now,” he added.
Mr. Thulasidass who has also been named as the new CMD of the merged carrier Air India said the review meeting focussed more on the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility for the new airline.
Replying to queries, Mr. Thulasidass said that discussions also centred on having a common IT platform, coordinating and finetuning synergies for the future and joining a global alliance like Star or One World.
23/08/07 Vinay Kumar/The Hindu

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Categories: Air India Aug 2007, Indian Aug 2007