Hours after its engineers threatened to go on a one-day non-cooperation stir against the proposed joint venture with Singapore International Airlines, the Indian Airlines on Thursday said it was only a memorandum of understanding for a feasibility study.

"The MoU says, the parties are interested in undertaking a joint feasibility study to determine the value and propositions of setting up a comprehensive maintenance, repair and overhaul and line maintenance facilities on a joint venture basis at certain locations in India," an IA spokesman said, commenting on the threat by an engineering association.

The spokesman said that the association also said it was open for talks with the management before resorting to the agitation.

Chanchal Chattopadhyay, general secretary of the Indian Airlines Engineers Assocation said in Kolkata that the IA engineers and other employees would strongly oppose this "backdoor privatisation" and "we will go for one day non-cooperation in protest against this."