Tata,SIA in new bid to start full-service airline

They will initially invest a combined 100 million to start the full-service carrier.

Written by: Express News Service

2 min readNew DelhiSep 20, 2013 03:31 AM IST First published on: Sep 20, 2013 at 03:31 AM IST

After waiting in the wings for two decades,Tata Sons and Singapore International Airlines have revived their proposal to launch an airline.

They will initially invest a combined 100 million to start the full-service carrier which will be based in New Delhi,with Tata Sons owning 51 per cent and SIA the rest.

After Air Asia,Tata ties up with Singapore Airlines to set up new airline in India

This is the second airline joint venture announced this year by the Tatas,and comes after outgoing chairman Ratan Tata said in December he would hesitate to enter the aviation sector on account of unhealthy competition.

The group had in February announced the launch of a low-cost airline with Malaysias AirAsia. Tata Sons and SIA said Thursday they had signed an MoU and applied for FIPB approval to start a new airline.

The plan for a full-service carrier in a predominantly low-cost aviation market is being seen as risky by many.

However,Mukund Rajan,the Tata nominee on the new airlines board,said they are entering the market with a long-term view. The demand for full-service airlines will grow in the long run, Rajan told The Indian Express.