Air India mergers

Tata Group owned Air India is reportedly "evaluating options to consolidate” the four airlines in its fold — Air India, Air India Express, AirAsia India and Vistara — according to news reports. "Chief executive officer and managing director Campbell Wilson has set up this team, which will look into synergy between Air India Express and AirAsia India and also between Air India and Vistara, and how to achieve the merger,” noted ET Infra.com on September 22, 2022. The objective is to "bring operational synergies among the airlines under its umbrella,” stated the news report. The team has been asked to submit its plan within one year.
"It is understood that the plan is to achieve consolidation of AirAsia India into Air India Express over a one-year period, while also targeting to bring all of the Group’s airline businesses under the Air India umbrella by 2024,” stated the news report.
The Tatas took control of the loss making Air India and its low-cost international arm Air India Express in January this year at a cost of Rs 18,000 crores. The Group holds nearly 84% stake in AirAsia India and 51% in Vistara.
Meanwhile, newly appointed chief operating officer of IndiGo, reportedly the country’s largest passenger carrying airline with the largest fleet, Pieter Elbers told The Times of India on September 24 that he welcomes competition from Air India and that the country is big enough to have two mega airlines. "I do not see any issue with two big Indian carriers operating international flights in a country of the size and population of India,” he stated.