Do not intend to bid for Air India, says Gulf carrier Oman Air

New Delhi: Gulf carrier Oman Air's CEO Paul Gregorowitsch said on Thursday the airline had no intention to bid for Air India or any of its wings. 

He said that as the Gulf economies were in "crosswinds", the Muscat-based airline would prefer to focus on a strategy different from other Gulf carriers that had invested in other airlines either in India, Asia or Europe, and had "not been successful". 

The Union Cabinet has given its in-principle approval for disinvestment of Air India, after the government's think tank NITI Aayog proposed complete privatisation of the national carrier, which is saddled with a debt of Rs 52,000 crore. 

"You never say no but if you ask me today if I would write a cheque to participate in (the bidding for) Air India, (I would say) we leave this to the priority of other Indian carriers," Gregorowitsch said at a press meet here. 

Indian low-cost carrier IndiGo wrote to the government with an expression of interest in buying out the international arm of Air India and if that was not possible, it said it would like to buyout the entire Air India flight operations as well. 

Oman Air currently has 47 aircraft in its fleet, which comprises Boeing 787S, Boeing 737s, Airbus 330s and Embraer 175s. It plans to expand its fleet to 70 aircraft and serve 75 destinations by 2023.