Air India requests lenient view on pilots, cabin crew under DGCA lens
24 Sept 2017 10:32 PM IST
New Delhi: Air India chief Rajiv Bansal has said the airline has requested DGCA to take a "lenient view" on more than 400 pilots and cabin crew who have come under the scanner for skipping breath analyser test, maintaining that they never intended to violate norms.
As many as 132 pilots and 434 cabin crew of the national carrier have been found by the DGCA to have allegedly skipped the compulsory pre-and post-flight alcohol tests this year.
They face the prospect of being grounded and a final decision would be taken after discussions with the civil aviation ministry.
Air India and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have discussed the issue. While apologising for the lapses, the airline has told the regulator that their actions were based on the interpretation of the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR).
"There was no violation of breath analyser test at the last point for all the flights. We have sincerely apologised and assured the DGCA that we will carry out breath analyser tests as per their requirements and as per the clarity given on the CAR," Bansal said.
Emphasising that it was never and will never be their intention to violate the rules, the Chairman and Managing Director said the airline would ensure full compliance with all the requirements.
Seeking to illustrate the possible sequence of events, Bansal said for instance, with respect to a flight that originated in Dubai, landed at Mumbai and then went on to Kolkata, the breath analyser test was conducted at Kolkata.
"...DGCA says we should do it at the first point. We are in full agreement to what they are saying and when it was known to us, we have started testing it like that," he noted.
"We have requested that they should take a lenient view on this matter," he said, expressing hope that the regulator would take a "considered view".
An official source said the issue has also been brought to the notice of the civil aviation ministry by the DGCA and a final decision would be taken after detailed discussions.
As part of the DGCA's safety regulations, all pilots and cabin crew must undergo the breath analyser test before and after flights.
Any crew member who tests positive in the pre-flight medical check or refuses to take a breath analyser test is required to be taken off flying duty for at least four weeks and the airline is required to initiate disciplinary proceedings, according to civil aviation rules.
AI looks to vacate unused hangar space at airports, save on rentals
New Delhi: Air India plans to vacate unused hangar space at some airports and sell the scrap lying there to cut costs, CMD Rajiv Bansal has said.
After taking over the reins of the disinvestment-bound airline last month, Bansal has been working on ways to improve On Time Performance (OTP) of the flights, customer service and reduce costs on various fronts.
Bansal said he is planning to vacate any extra space at airports that the airline might be holding up due to scrap.
"I am finding that there is a lot of unused material lying in hangars and unnecessarily we are holding on. So we can get some money by selling the scrap and also save rentals by leaving the space," Bansal said in an interview.
He noted that there is more such space occupied by the airline at Delhi and Mumbai airports.
"I noticed that in Delhi itself one aircraft which has been auctioned is lying in the hangar. Similarly in Mumbai, steel scrap is lying and we are trying to dispose that of so that hangar space can be cleared," Bansal said.
Hangar is a space within the airport complex where maintenance work of aircraft is carried out.
The national carrier has around ten hangars in different airports across the country.
Air India group operates to 42 international destinations and over 70 domestic stations. It has an operating fleet of 142 aircraft.
"My priorities are OTP and customer experience. These are the two things from the passenger side and on the internal side we should make enough money. So must make money and spend less," Bansal said.
Among other cost saving initiatives, the airline is looking to rationalise some routes operated by the airline and its subsidiaries, including in the Gulf region.
The airline has a debt burden of more than Rs 50,000 crore and is grappling with tough financial situation. Earlier this month, the carrier floated tender seeking short term loans worth over Rs 3,200 crore which is to be guaranteed by the government.
"We are having a huge debt and there was a turnaround plan approved by the government. There are accumulated losses and the losses are being added due to huge debt. We are having debt service obligations," Bansal said.
The carrier is surviving on a little over Rs 30,000 crore bailout package extended by the previous UPA regime.
The government has decided to go for strategic disinvestment of Air India and its five subsidiaries. A group of ministers is working on the modalities of the process.
Next Story
