IndiGo opts out of race to buy Air India

NEW DELHI: IndiGo, which was the first airline to express interest in buying stake in Air India, today said that they have opted out of it, as they are interested only in the national carrier’s international operations.

“From day one, IndiGo has expressed its interest primarily in the acquisition of Air India’s international operations and Air India Express. However, that option is not available under the Government’s current divestiture plans for Air India,” Aditya Ghosh, President and Whole Time Director, said in a statement.

Also, as we have communicated before, we do not believe that we have the capability to take on the task of acquiring and successfully turnaround all of Air India’s airline operations, the statement added.

The response from IndiGo came within a week after the government issued an Expression of Interest (EOI) document on Air India.

According to the document, the government has decided to sell Air India, Air India Express and AISATS as one entity.