National carrier Air-India is expected to make a profit of Rs 90 crore (Rs 900 million) during 2002-03, Civil Aviation Minister Shahnawaz Hussain told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

Replying to supplementaries during Question Hour, the minister said despite higher air turbine fuel cost due to Iraq war, A-I would register profit during the recently ended financial year.

In reply to the main question, the minister said despite the Iraq crisis, A-I and Indian Airlines maintained all their operations to the Arabian countries as per schedule.

Except for suspension of 14 flights in April 2003 due to poor load factors, all other flights were undertaken by these airlines, he said.

The suspended flights will be resumed as soon as there is enough improvement in demand to make these flights economically viable, the minister said.

In reply to a query on whether some pilots of the Indian Pilot Guild had refused to fly into severe acute respiratory syndrome-affected countries, Hussain said their flights were undertaken by the executive pilots.