NACIL to turn Air India Ltd, but takeoff awaits clearance

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has decided to rename NACIL — National Aviation Company of India Limited — as Air India Limited, reports Tushar Srivastava.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has decided to rename NACIL — National Aviation Company of India Limited — as Air India Limited.

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NACIL, which was formed after the merger of Air India and Indian Airlines on August 27, 2007, has been asked to take necessary action in this regard.

“The need to form a new company arose as a company by the name of Air India Limited already existed at the time of the merger. Now, since there is no such problem and Air India’s name is synonymous with that of the national carrier, it has been decided to change the company’s name,” an official said on condition of anonymity.

There were other considerations as well that prompted the decision. “The codes that have been allotted to us are in Air India’s name, as also most of the bilateral and multilateral agreements that have been signed,” he said.

Despite the Ministry’s instructions, NACIL has been quiet on the issue so far. NACIL CMD Arvind Jadhav could not be contacted despite repeated attempts. A NACIL spokesperson confirmed the receipt of the letter from the Ministry.

Officials said there remained technical issues to be resolved with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the company affairs department.