Minister defends Singapore Airlines’ Air India stake amid scrutiny, racist rants

Singapore’s Transport Minister, Jeffrey Siow, defended Singapore Airlines' investment in Air India during a parliamentary inquiry, stating that the city-state's airline must expand overseas due to limitations on domestic air travel. Siow clarified that the airline is a listed company that funded its own investments and has not sought additional capital from shareholders.

The 25.1% stake in Air India, owned by Singapore's Temasek, has faced political scrutiny due to Air India's increasing losses during a multi-billion-dollar turnaround plan that may take up to a decade. Siow emphasized that the current assessment is that the investment is not adversely affecting Singapore Airlines' ability to serve Singaporeans, and the long-term strategic commitment aligns with the company's multi-hub strategy.

The funding request has also sparked racist comments against Indian individuals, prompting Singapore’s Minister for National Security, K Shanmugam, to ask police to investigate the online hate speech targeting Temasek’s CEO and senior management.

Brief written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.