Air India subject to tough conditions before help comes from government

After much prevarication and discussion, the Indian government has at last agreed in principle to a INR50 billion (USD1.1 billion) phased bailout of the national carrier Air India, conditional upon a reduction in costs over the next two years of INR30 billion (USD650 million). Indian Minister for Civil Aviation, Praful Patel, has announced he would appoint seven independent directors to the board of the national carrier in an attempt to improve its efficiency.