Air India's induction into Star Alliance now hangs in balance. Sources indicated on Thursday that some of the 27 members of Star Alliance are opposed to Air India joining the global airline .

Star Alliance CEO Jaan Albrecht has expressed fear that some of the member airlines may raise objections to Air India joining the global airline grouping as and when the proposal comes before the executive committee for approval.

The CEO has based his concerns on a series of letters written by Air India's employees in which they have allegedly said that the airline is compromising on safety and maintenance in the face of liquidity crunch.

This poses a problem for Air India as it won't be able to join the alliance even if one of the airlines decides to vote against including Air India in Star Alliance. According to multiple sources, some member airlines of the Alliance have already expressed their reservations against AI and if its proposal is not all together scuttled, AI’s joining will certainly be delayed. 

A senior official in the ministry of civil aviation said AI has been pursuing some airlines to change their mind and vote in its support, pointing out that some foreign carriers who want to grow their Indian business are standing in the way of AI. Air India officials acknowledged that the joining deadline — which is July 31 — has been pushed back by a few weeks.

The official said that in case Star Alliance does not work out, AI could look towards working with another global alliance, SkyTeam, which is sending a delegation to India next week to explore business opportunities here.