While “enhanced meal service” will be provided on four Air India flights on Thursday, the Tata takeover will take place after Thursday, officials said.
The Tata Group has taken its first step at Air India by introducing “enhanced meal service” in four flights that will operate from Mumbai on Thursday, officials said on Wednesday.
However, Air India flights will not be flying under the banner of the Tata Group from Thursday itself, they stated.
Earlier during the day, the officials had told news agency PTI the Indian government is likely to hand over Air India to the Tata Group on Thursday, nearly 69 years after it was taken from the conglomerate.
However, while the “enhanced meal service” will be provided on four flights — AI864 (Mumbai-Delhi), AI687 (Mumbai-Delhi), AI945 (Mumbai-Abu Dhabi) and AI639 (Mumbai-Bengaluru) — on Thursday, the takeover will take place later, the officials clarified.
After a competitive bidding process, the government had on October 8 last year sold Air India to Talace Private Limited — a subsidiary of the Tata Group’s holding company — for ₹ 18,000 crore.
The officials said the new date from which all Air India flights will fly under “Tata Group’s banner or aegis” will be told to the employees later.
The “enhanced meal service” will be served on Mumbai-Newark flight and five Mumbai-Delhi flights on Friday, they noted.
The “enhanced meal service” — devised by the Tata Group officials — will be expanded to more flights in a staggered and phased manner, the officials added.
Meanwhile, two airline pilot unions — Indian Pilots’ Guild (IPG) and Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association (ICPA) — on Monday warned Air India’s CMD Vikram Dev Dutt of legal action as “multiple deductions and recoveries have been projected” on the dues owed to pilots.
“This recovery exercise is entirely illegal, and we demand that this anomaly is rectified and the amount due is repaid with immediate effect,” a letter sent by the two unions said.
The Tata Group has taken its first step at Air India by introducing “enhanced meal service” in four flights that will operate from Mumbai on Thursday, officials said on Wednesday.
However, Air India flights will not be flying under the banner of the Tata Group from Thursday itself, they stated.
Earlier during the day, the officials had told news agency PTI the Indian government is likely to hand over Air India to the Tata Group on Thursday, nearly 69 years after it was taken from the conglomerate.
However, while the “enhanced meal service” will be provided on four flights — AI864 (Mumbai-Delhi), AI687 (Mumbai-Delhi), AI945 (Mumbai-Abu Dhabi) and AI639 (Mumbai-Bengaluru) — on Thursday, the takeover will take place later, the officials clarified.
After a competitive bidding process, the government had on October 8 last year sold Air India to Talace Private Limited — a subsidiary of the Tata Group’s holding company — for ₹ 18,000 crore.
The officials said the new date from which all Air India flights will fly under “Tata Group’s banner or aegis” will be told to the employees later.
The “enhanced meal service” will be served on Mumbai-Newark flight and five Mumbai-Delhi flights on Friday, they noted.
The “enhanced meal service” — devised by the Tata Group officials — will be expanded to more flights in a staggered and phased manner, the officials added.
Meanwhile, two airline pilot unions — Indian Pilots’ Guild (IPG) and Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association (ICPA) — on Monday warned Air India’s CMD Vikram Dev Dutt of legal action as “multiple deductions and recoveries have been projected” on the dues owed to pilots.
“This recovery exercise is entirely illegal, and we demand that this anomaly is rectified and the amount due is repaid with immediate effect,” a letter sent by the two unions said.