NEW DELHI — Ahead of a crucial May 7 board meeting to review staggering financial year losses of up to ₹22,000 crore, Air India officials announced Tuesday that long-term fiscal stability would soon be achieved by simply furloughing 1,680 employees.

According to internal documents, the carrier is simultaneously seeking over ₹10,000 crore in additional funding from stakeholders while demanding government tax relief on aviation turbine fuel. "Once we eliminate 5 to 7 percent of our workforce, the remaining twenty-odd thousand crores in debt should naturally resolve themselves," explained a corporate spokesperson, noting that the salaries of the soon-to-be-terminated professionals were the primary obstacle preventing the company from overcoming global fuel prices and Middle East airspace closures.

The aggressive cost-cutting measures follow a turbulent period for the carrier, which includes a devastating June 2025 crash in Ahmedabad that claimed 241 lives and the April resignation of its chief executive amid mounting operational failures. "It has been a challenging year," the spokesperson continued. "We are confident that reducing the number of people actually available to manage our daily operations will streamline our recovery."

The board is expected to finalize the workforce rationalization proposals during an upcoming town hall, shortly before formally asking the government to subsidize the remaining operational costs required to maintain the airline's image as a self-sufficient national carrier.