NEW DELHI: On Sept.3 the record profits posted by Air India, this country’s international carrier, came despite a nagging problem that irritates the airline’s officials and passengers alike: frequent fight rescheduling caused by the travel of Govemment leaders.
The Government owned airline is regularly ordered to part with aircraft to Ny Government leaders like Prime Minister P: V.Narsimha Rao and President Shankar Dayal Sharma abroad.
For security reasons, Rao, Sharma and Vice President K.R.Narayanan chartera full plane while a not her aircrafi is kept ready for an emergency.
Passengers are frequently transferred to Other airlines when the. officials travel.
Anumberof longdistance flights will be changed the second week of September during Rao’s six day visit to China and South Korea.
When lawmakers protested the flight disruptions in Parliament last month, the Civil Aviation Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, said the Government could not afford 16 buy long-haul aircraft exclusively for the Indian leaders.
Despite Air India’s record profits of $106 million for the last fiscal year, up from $47 million from the year before, passenger’ complaints are widespread. A_ work stoppage carly this year disrupted service, and maintenance: problems persist in the airline’s aging fleet of Boeing 747’s.
Airline officials said the complaints would ease when four new wide bodies Boeing 747400’s joined the fleet in the next year.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 10, 1993
