Abstract

The case discusses the attempted acquisition of the third largest airline company in India, Air Sahara by its rival airline company, Jet Airways. It describes why Jet Airways, a leader in the Indian airline company agreed to pay $500 million to acquire Air Sahara. The case further talks about the benefits that Jet Airways expected to have from the acquisition. It also throws light on the changes brought in by the new low cost carriers in the Indian aviation scene. Finally, the case ends with a discussion on the future prospects of Jet Airways and Air Sahara in the highly competitive airline industry both within and outside India, in light of the failure of the proposed acquisition.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand the role of mergers and acquisitions in the growth strategy of airline companies
• Analyze the benefits and drawbacks of acquisitions for an airline company
• Study the impact of liberalization on the Indian airline industry
• Understand the implications of competition from low cost carriers to full service airline companies.

Keywords

Jet Airways (India) Ltd, Sahara Airlines Ltd, Air Sahara, Indian aviation industry, Airline company, Low cost airline, Full service airlines, Private carriers, Acquisition, Indian airlines, Monopoly entity