Pilots’ union OKs privatization for critically ill Air India

NEW DELHI, India – Even before assuming office, PM-elect Narendra Modi seems to have achieved the impossible for critically ill Air India — getting its pilots’ union to back privatization of the airline. The Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association (ICPA, union of pilots of erstwhile Indian Airlines) has written to Modi, saying it is “not averse to part or complete privatization of the airline if done fairly”.

It, however, urged Modi to examine how previous governments had brought AI to its current state. “Every employee is waiting for AI to be pulled out of ventilator and (ending of) government interference as it has been plagued by bad political decisions in the last decade,” ICPA general secretary Rishabh Kapur says in the letter.

The collective debt of the Air India-Indian Airlines combine was around Rs 47,200 crore on December 31, 2013. AI has already used up almost half of the Rs 30,000-crore equity infusion promised till 2020, without any real turnaround.

Sources said UPA-2 did little to turn around the airline, except for appointing IAS officer Rohit Nandan, an officer with a clean image, as AI’s CMD in 2011. However, the airline continued to be run by politicians and babus from Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan — the Delhi-based aviation ministry headquarters — and not aviation professionals, they rued. “Nandan has managed to stabilize the airline operations and bring it to a position where AI can at least attract prospective buyers. AI will enter Star Alliance shortly and that will make it a good buy despite its massive losses-dues combine. Earlier, no investor would have even looked at AI,” said a source.

Latching on to Modi’s promise of “achchhe din aane wale hain”, ICPA urged the PM-elect to bring good days to the airline as well. “Let me assure you on behalf of Air Indians — a family of 40,000 employees and if you add the retired and dependent family members, the number easily crosses 2.5 lakh people who have embedded their faith in one man and his vision and commitment to the nation — Narendra Modi,” Kapur’s letter says.