Would Maharaja win this battle???

I have been keeping update on the AirIndia (Maharaja) drama lately. This drama also includes airlines like Jet and Kingfisher and starts from the time when Jet was about to lay off employees due to effects of the ongoing recession.
Political parties scrambled left and right to garner political mileage pretending to support those laid-off employees by demonstrating and destroying public properties already vandalized and aging. Jet boss was made to apologize and take them back though am not sure how were they utilized in the company later on.
Coming to the point of AirIndia, as every reader would know AI is ailing and bleeding heavily. It is on ventilators now; thanks to the large taxpayers money been pumped into it. Few days back Civil aviation minister suggested trimming the behemoth and making it more efficient. Again our MP’s scowled at the idea of layoff ignoring the fact that global economy is under pressure and airlines throughout the world are cutting off to save some bucks. But due to inability of the government to convince so called supporters of the government AI is still under severe stress.
People still have the notion that the “National carrier” symbolizes the country and should not be allowed to lay off employees as other sectors are already bleeding. Statistics say there 46500 employees of AI for 147 aircrafts which means 330 per aircraft. Is this figure appropriate for an airline seeking to be global leader or for that matter even make profit? I still fail to understand why we have pride in the airline which is not even used by our own people. I still remember the way people react when you say you traveled by AI. I myself have not traveled but many whom I know tell me about the bad experiences of customer service. Do we want such a company to symbolize our country? I don’t.
The civil aviation minster is accused that he brought in more airlines on the routes where AI was making profits. Here I would I like to say why not thank the minister in making the skies more competitive as new airlines have brought down the cost. Why ignore the fact that “other/international” airlines are more efficient than AI is. Just to make a point ticket rates of an AI flight on its website are way higher than the traveling sites selling its tickets. Is it such a difficult task to develop a cost model and display it on your website? Go west and look at British Airways. It has one of the most efficient websites and no wonder has a major share of online tickets sold of its flights.
I feel AI should have a CEO from low cost carrier and let him trim down the huge airline and make it leaner. The better would be privatization but I guess people are more sympathetic to the “National carrier” to let is privatize. If either of these is not allowed then I do not see AI turning around. Worse the airline may sink deeper and take with it all the employment that it provides right now and that time protests and “bandhs” would no longer help. This is the solution some the previous public sector companies like Hindustan Machine Tools(HMT), IDPL and HEC. They were let to crumble and fade out in history. Is this the fate of Maharaja?????