Tata Group have run airline into ground: Manish Tewari slams Centre over privatising Air India

NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader Manish Tewari on Friday slammed the government’s decision to privatise Air India, saying it’s been a disaster.

Tewari expressed frustration over the airline’s poor performance under Tata Group’s management, citing frequent flight cancellations and delays without explanations.

In a post on X, Tewari said, “Government of India should take @airindia back from the @TataCompanies. They have run the airline into the ground. Flights cancelled at the drop of a hat , flights delayed without any explanation whatsoever.”

Tewari questioned the expertise of Tata Group’s management, suggesting that professionals from other Tata companies, such as Tata Tea or Tata Steel, may not be suitable to run an airline.

“The Pilots and the crew tell me that people who grow Tea in Tata Tea , make steel in Tata Steel, make cars in Tata Motors are running @airindia. People I have known personally over the past 40 years and are sound professionals. The Airline is a complete management mess. There are hardly any competent aviation professionals running @airindia. The Privatisation has been a disaster,” the Congress leader posted on X.

This comes after multiple flights have been cancelled or delayed, causing inconvenience to passengers. Passengers have reported broken seats, rude staff, lost luggage, and poor customer service, highlighting systemic issues within the airline.

Earlier, the airlines had faced one of deadliest plane crash of India when a London-bound AI-171 flight, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12, killing 260 people. The aircraft crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel complex in Ahmedabad’s Meghani Nagar area.

Notably, the Tata Group regained control of Air India in January 2022 after nearly seven decades of state ownership.

Earlier, an audit conducted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has flagged 51 safety deficiencies in Air India’s operations, raising concerns over compliance with regulatory protocols and operational safety standards.

The findings are part of a government report accessed by ANI, based on a comprehensive inspection carried out between July 1st and 3rd at Air India’s main base.

The internal surveillance report, led by a 10-member DGCA inspection team, highlights critical failures across various domains, from flight dispatch, crew rostering, and simulator training to digital record keeping and cabin crew procedures.

The major lapses identified as per the reports include flight crew and simulator irregularities, excessive flight duty periods, and unqualified simulator use for training.

The report further stated that B787 pilots operated flights despite undergoing invalid recurrent simulator checks. Simulators did not meet the regulatory 2-hour session requirement, a breach that led to pilots flying without DGCA re-approval.

A B787 flight (AI-138 from Milan to Delhi) exceeded its Flight Duty Period (FDP) by 2 hours and 18 minutes, a direct violation of civil aviation rules.

The findings also state that multiple ultra-long-haul (ULR) flights (AI-126, 190, 188, 191) operated without the minimum mandated number of cabin crew, in violation of Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) pertaining to Flight Crew Standards, training, and licensing.

The accessed report further mentioned that Air India reportedly used non-qualified simulators for Category C airport training, known for their challenging approach conditions, violating safety training protocols. On the digital and documentation gaps, the report reveals that widespread discrepancies were found in the BOTMIN system, the airline’s digital crew record-keeping platform, with missing pilot documents, inaccurate flying hour records, and unindexed training folders.

It further mentioned the additional safety and organisational concerns, including operational manual irregularities and lapses in training oversight.

The organisational chart did not reflect DGCA-mandated post-holders. Positions like Chief Pilot (A320, A350) were unassigned, and key roles like the Head of IOCC (Integrated Operations Control Centre) lacked clarity in designation and qualification and several inconsistencies were noted in the airline’s manuals, including outdated Search and Rescue procedures, missing HUD recency documentation, and improper fuel planning on EDTO (Extended Diversion Time Operations) routes.

The report further stated that DGCA also flagged incomplete records for B777/B787 pilots’ recurrent training, missing approvals for Computer-Based Training (CBT), and outdated classroom capacities and safety equipment in the training centre. The DGCA has categorised the findings into Level I and Level II violations, with Level I being the most severe.

Air India has been instructed to submit corrective action reports by July 30 for Level I issues and by August 23 for Level II findings. The detailed deficiency report calls into question the effectiveness of these reforms and indicates deeper systemic issues.

Air India, in response, told ANI, “All airlines undergo regular audits to test and continuously strengthen processes. Air India’s annual DGCA audit took place in July, during which it was fully transparent with auditors in the spirit of such continuous improvement. We acknowledge receipt of the findings and will submit our response to the regulator within the stipulated time frame, along with the details of the corrective actions taken. Air India remains fully committed to ensuring the safety of its passengers and staff.” (ANI)