boeingdream787
18th Jan 2006, 19:31
:cool: Heres something I read in a leading newspaper just a coupla days ago......although I think its a load of BS,initiated by people with axes to grind,just wondering if one individual is capable of so much of "single handed arbitration",with/without the aid of very senior officials....ie maybe the CMD of AI himself...??!
Air-India executives have no trust in operations chief -New Delhi,
Even as Air-India is going ahead with a massive new aircraft acquisition drive, seniormost executives of the national carrier warn that the alleged acts of omission and commission by the Director (Operations), Capt M.K. Hathi, can lead to a forced lock-out. They have demanded replacing Captain Hathi as the Director (Operations) in the interest of the company and the country.
These executives have in a detailed and signed memorandum to the Chairman and Managing Director of Air-India, Mr V. Thulasidas, in the second half of December expressed their “total no-confidence in the Director of Operations.” They have listed eleven points to bring to the fore how a precarious situation has arisen because of what they categorised as “engineered shortage of commanders by the present Director of Operations.”
Even though the expansion plan of Air-India has been in the pipeline for several years and open knowledge to all and sundry, they have charged Captain Hathi of giving a goby to all corporate norms and resorted to “ad hoc and arbitrary decisions based on gross favouritism.” Promotional exercises were kept pending for years to favour the same individuals which was amended after a Vigilance inuqiry was ordered by the CMD of Air-India.
This is not the first time that the adhocism in promotions as commanders has been brought to the notice of Mr Thulasidas. At the same time, efforts have been scuttled to constitute a transparent crew planning and career progression board which these executives firmly believe holds the portends of a forced lock out of the company. Efforts to contact Mr Thulasidas for his comments did not materialise.
It is widely acknowledged that providing commanders is a prime function of the Operations Department which has been headed by Captain Hathi for the past seven years, except for two months in May and June 2002.
The memorandum, a copy of which has been sent to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, notes it was during Captain Hathi’s two-month absence in May-June 2002 that a policy decision was taken by the then Director Operations, to recruit a large number of ALTP holders with a commitment to release four commanders per month which would have given the airline 170 additional commanders.
However, as soon as Captain Hathi returned as Director Operations in July 2002, he reversed this decision and intentionally undertook a large-scale recruitment of CPL holders who did not have their ALTP and consequently remain ineligible for command spread over several years. This is the primary reason for the shortage of commanders and is an “internally engineered situation.”
The executives further accuse Captain Hathi of “abject failure” and instead embarking on a “large-scale induction of foreigners as commanders by misleading the higher authorities of the Ministry of Civil Aviation.” In contrast, the Air-India executives observe that their sister PSU Indian has a similar kind of expansion plan but has not recruited a single foreign commander despite the fact that the Indian has lost more than 150 pilots to other carriers over the years.
The memorandum insists that the recruitment of foreigners requires serious investigation. The proponents of employment of foreigners in Air-India have overlooked several critical aspects. Considering the outgo of foreign exchange, Indian pilots will stand to lose invaluable quality experience in hours on heavy jets on international routes. This will be to the tune of 150,000 hours annually which would go to the foreign commanders. This is bound to have an adverse effect on civil aviation in this country in the medium to long term.
The memorandum by the senior executives of Air-India maintains that they cannot remain silent spectators to the predicament created by a single individual. This assumes significance as Air-India has existed for 70 years without any foreign pilots in commercial operations.
“We are levying these charges against Captain Hathi resulting in our no-confidence in him and request the immediate intervention of the CMD of Air-India.Air India Express is the brainchild of Capt Hathi,and this particular move(ie inducting foreigners to fly the B737's)is grossly undermining the salaries that AIE would otherwise pay its local captains(who are paid in the tune of 5,000$US PM as against 9,000$US PM to their equally qualified expat counterparts......This is an absolute shame...!!!!”
The memorandum has been signed among others by I.P.S. Sachar, GM (Flt Ops), Rakesh Anand - GM (Ops), S C Baptista - GM (Ops - Trg) and several additional general managers and joint general managers.
Some Members of Parliament have also brought this issue of the alleged misuse of his official position by Captain Hathi to the notice of the Central Vigilance Commission along with writing letters to the Prime Minister.
Civil Aviation Secretary Ajay Prasad had written to Mr Thulasidas, CMD of Air-India, way back in December 2004 that he would not like the irregularities connected with promotions to be treated in a routine matter.
Mr Prasad stressed, “First it is necessary to remedy the gross injustice done to the affected pilots who have been wrongly denied promotions. This aspect should not get bogged down in convoluted procedures and urgent action at your level is called for. Secondly, appropriate action needs to be considered against officials who have resorted to such irregular practices.”
The Civil Aviation Secretary impressed upon Mr Thulasidas to ensure that promotion/recruitment policies in Air-India are urgently streamlined in accordance with the established procedures laid down for PSUs so that there is no scope for individual caprices or ad hoc measures. The process should be fair and transparent so that there is no cause for complaints.
Air-India executives have no trust in operations chief -New Delhi,
Even as Air-India is going ahead with a massive new aircraft acquisition drive, seniormost executives of the national carrier warn that the alleged acts of omission and commission by the Director (Operations), Capt M.K. Hathi, can lead to a forced lock-out. They have demanded replacing Captain Hathi as the Director (Operations) in the interest of the company and the country.
These executives have in a detailed and signed memorandum to the Chairman and Managing Director of Air-India, Mr V. Thulasidas, in the second half of December expressed their “total no-confidence in the Director of Operations.” They have listed eleven points to bring to the fore how a precarious situation has arisen because of what they categorised as “engineered shortage of commanders by the present Director of Operations.”
Even though the expansion plan of Air-India has been in the pipeline for several years and open knowledge to all and sundry, they have charged Captain Hathi of giving a goby to all corporate norms and resorted to “ad hoc and arbitrary decisions based on gross favouritism.” Promotional exercises were kept pending for years to favour the same individuals which was amended after a Vigilance inuqiry was ordered by the CMD of Air-India.
This is not the first time that the adhocism in promotions as commanders has been brought to the notice of Mr Thulasidas. At the same time, efforts have been scuttled to constitute a transparent crew planning and career progression board which these executives firmly believe holds the portends of a forced lock out of the company. Efforts to contact Mr Thulasidas for his comments did not materialise.
It is widely acknowledged that providing commanders is a prime function of the Operations Department which has been headed by Captain Hathi for the past seven years, except for two months in May and June 2002.
The memorandum, a copy of which has been sent to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, notes it was during Captain Hathi’s two-month absence in May-June 2002 that a policy decision was taken by the then Director Operations, to recruit a large number of ALTP holders with a commitment to release four commanders per month which would have given the airline 170 additional commanders.
However, as soon as Captain Hathi returned as Director Operations in July 2002, he reversed this decision and intentionally undertook a large-scale recruitment of CPL holders who did not have their ALTP and consequently remain ineligible for command spread over several years. This is the primary reason for the shortage of commanders and is an “internally engineered situation.”
The executives further accuse Captain Hathi of “abject failure” and instead embarking on a “large-scale induction of foreigners as commanders by misleading the higher authorities of the Ministry of Civil Aviation.” In contrast, the Air-India executives observe that their sister PSU Indian has a similar kind of expansion plan but has not recruited a single foreign commander despite the fact that the Indian has lost more than 150 pilots to other carriers over the years.
The memorandum insists that the recruitment of foreigners requires serious investigation. The proponents of employment of foreigners in Air-India have overlooked several critical aspects. Considering the outgo of foreign exchange, Indian pilots will stand to lose invaluable quality experience in hours on heavy jets on international routes. This will be to the tune of 150,000 hours annually which would go to the foreign commanders. This is bound to have an adverse effect on civil aviation in this country in the medium to long term.
The memorandum by the senior executives of Air-India maintains that they cannot remain silent spectators to the predicament created by a single individual. This assumes significance as Air-India has existed for 70 years without any foreign pilots in commercial operations.
“We are levying these charges against Captain Hathi resulting in our no-confidence in him and request the immediate intervention of the CMD of Air-India.Air India Express is the brainchild of Capt Hathi,and this particular move(ie inducting foreigners to fly the B737's)is grossly undermining the salaries that AIE would otherwise pay its local captains(who are paid in the tune of 5,000$US PM as against 9,000$US PM to their equally qualified expat counterparts......This is an absolute shame...!!!!”
The memorandum has been signed among others by I.P.S. Sachar, GM (Flt Ops), Rakesh Anand - GM (Ops), S C Baptista - GM (Ops - Trg) and several additional general managers and joint general managers.
Some Members of Parliament have also brought this issue of the alleged misuse of his official position by Captain Hathi to the notice of the Central Vigilance Commission along with writing letters to the Prime Minister.
Civil Aviation Secretary Ajay Prasad had written to Mr Thulasidas, CMD of Air-India, way back in December 2004 that he would not like the irregularities connected with promotions to be treated in a routine matter.
Mr Prasad stressed, “First it is necessary to remedy the gross injustice done to the affected pilots who have been wrongly denied promotions. This aspect should not get bogged down in convoluted procedures and urgent action at your level is called for. Secondly, appropriate action needs to be considered against officials who have resorted to such irregular practices.”
The Civil Aviation Secretary impressed upon Mr Thulasidas to ensure that promotion/recruitment policies in Air-India are urgently streamlined in accordance with the established procedures laid down for PSUs so that there is no scope for individual caprices or ad hoc measures. The process should be fair and transparent so that there is no cause for complaints.