New Delhi, Nov. 6: Air India is expected to report an operating profit this fiscal helped by low crude prices and an improved efficiency in operations, aviation secretary Rajiv Nayan Choubey said today.

The loss-making national carrier, surviving on a Rs 30,000-crore bailout package, is implementing a turnaround plan. It aims to turn profitable on a year-on year basis by 2018-19. A senior government official said it would be after more than 10 years that Air India would post an operational profit.

"Air India is going to report operating profit in this financial year (ending March 31, 2016) and is expected to be Rs 6 crore," Choubey said.

However, on a consolidated basis, the carrier will suffer a net loss of Rs 5,400 crore in 2015-16.

The airline's losses reduced to Rs 1,245 crore in the first half of the fiscal from Rs 2,490 crore a year ago. It registered a 0.01 per cent increase in passenger revenue and 5 per cent growth in cargo revenues during the April-September period.

Load factor, or capacity utilisation, improved to 72.2 per cent from 71.6 per cent a year ago.

According to Choubey, better on-time performance and increased availability of passenger aircraft have helped Air India to improve its efficiency. On-time performance improved to 82 per cent in the first half of this fiscal from 79 per cent last year.