The clock is ticking on Air India’s credibility as British aviation investigators stand by ahead of the final report into the Ahmedabad crash. For a flag carrier already haemorrhaging cash and market share, this is not a safety incident. It is a balance sheet event.
The national carrier’s debt-to-equity ratio is already an eyesore, and now it faces a crisis of confidence that could trigger capital flight from India’s aviation sector. Gilt yields are not directly involved, but the contagion risk is real: foreign investors hate uncertainty. The longer the report is delayed, the more the market prices in a negative outcome.
The British investigators’ presence signals a breakdown in domestic regulatory trust. This is fiscal irresponsibility wearing a pilot’s uniform. Shareholders, be warned.
The only safe landing here is a government bailout or a private sector takeover. Anything less is a stall. And we all know what happens when you stall at low altitude.
