Retired Air India staffers to continue to get health cover

In a huge relief for retired Air India employees, the government has finalised a solution to the key issue of providing medical insurance to all retired employees of Air India – one of their key concerns. “Retired employees will get CGHS facility for their OPD requirement and National Health Insurance Scheme for their hospitalisation requirements,” said a top government official, who did not want to be identified.

The number of retired employees at Air India is at about 50,000, of these, about 30,000 have opted for the post-retirement medical scheme.

The official quoted above added that this is not a pre-condition for the transfer of the airline to its new owners – Tata Group – but was a big concern of retired employees.

The government has assured retired employees that their medical benefits will continue and also provided job protection to all existing employees for a period of 12 months from the transfer of the airline.

Air India has about 10,000 employees on its rolls as on date and about 5,000 of them will retire in the next five years.

The Tata Group won a bid (through a holding company Talace) to buy 100% stake in Air India along with AI Express and 50% stake in ground handling company AISATS and the government plans to transfer ownership to the Tata group before the end of this month.