New Delhi: Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered an FIR for the investigation of the cases involving the merger of Air India and Indian Airlines. The CBI has alleged that the losses of crores of rupees due to the merger of the two airlines resulted in a loss. The CBI has registered 3 FIRs, including the purchase of 111 aircraft, leasing of planes and the exclusion of air routes by Air India.
Significantly, in March 2007, the then UPA government had finalized the merger of the government airline Air India and Indian Airlines. Nearly 120 aircraft and more than 30 thousand employees of both of them joined the new airline. However, there was no change in the official format of the airline.
According to estimates, Air India has a debt of Rs 52,000 crore, of which alone the interest is only 4,000 crore rupees annually. In the last five years, the government has given Rs 25,000 crore to the public sector airline and this amount still has to be given by the year 2032. Despite all these efforts, Air India is losing about Rs 3,000 crore annually. Officials believe that merger of Air India-Indian Airlines is also responsible for the company's current condition.
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