Mumbai: After failing to find any lessor for its five Boeing 777s, the debt-laden Air India is now planning an outright sale of these aircraft to raise up to about Rs 2,500 crore, airline sources said.
The state-run airline will soon appoint a consultant to help it find a suitable buyer besides taking the assistance from Boeing on the issue, they said. The move is to trim over Rs 68,000-crore debt, they added.
“These are surplus aircraft after the induction of the latest Dreamliners in our fleet which we have decided to dispose of,” Air India sources told PTI on Monday.
Earlier, the carrier had sought to ‘sale and lease back’ the fuel-guzzling five Boeing 777-200 LR planes, which are of 2007 and 2009 make.
However, despite repeated attempts, Air India did not find any taker for them, eventually forcing to put them on the block.
26/11/12 PTI/The Hindu
