Union Minister for Civil Aviation Ashok Gajapathi Raju said the Centre wants Air India to survive and does not mind who runs it as long as it serves the people of India.
"If it is left like what it is, it is bound to die... we want Air India to survive, we don't mind where it is, who runs it. As long as it serves the Indian people and Indian skies, we are happy," Raju said.
He was responding to a question regarding the privatisation of Air India.
Stating that Air India is a "nice" airline and in the last two years it has not added to its losses, Raju said, "...I like that Airline, I like it to survive, I would love it to survive, but I can't commit the tax payers money for eternity."
Responding to a query, what is the time schedule from now to eternity, he said "...something has to be done about it, the sooner the better. We would like it to survive whether it is owned by the government or not."
The Minister said regional connectivity is among the priorities of the government for civil aviation in India.
He also said, "India is a big country, we have about 31-32 airports that are not serviced by the airlines. Our priority is to connect the unversed and the under served. Right now we are evaluating them."
