New Delhi : Air India, which is operationally profitable now, is looking to rejig debt worth Rs 10,000 crore under the scheme for sustainable restructuring of bad assets floated by the Reserve Bank.
To further strengthen the ability of lenders to tackle stressed assets and provide an avenue for reworking the financial structure of entities facing genuine problems, the central bank has introduced ‘S4A’.
The Scheme for Sustainable Structuring of Stressed Assets (S4A), introduced in June this year, also came against the backdrop of rising concerns over NPAs in the banking system. Sources told PTI that Air India is actively looking at the possibility of availing ‘S4A’ to rejig debt to the tune of at least Rs 10,000 crore. In case the proposal gets a green signal, it would be first time that a public sector undertaking avails the scheme. Air India, which has been in the red for the past many years, has posted an operating profit of Rs 105 crore in the last fiscal — first time in a decade. The carrier is also working on ways to bring down its overall debt burden, especially with respect to significant interest outgo. Currently, the airline’s debt is estimated to be more than Rs 50,000 crore.
A consortium of 19 lenders have extended loans to the national carrier, reports PTI. Sources said many factors have to be taken into account before opting for the ‘S4A’ mechanism. Among others, the exact quantum of cash flow available for the airline has to be ascertained in order to decide on the level of sustainable debt, they added. While overall performance of the carrier in the last fiscal has been better compared to the last few years, an extensive diligence needs to be carried out before applying for the scheme, sources said.
