Firstpost
  • Home
  • Video Shows
    Vantage Firstpost America Firstpost Africa First Sports
  • World
    US News
  • Explainers
  • News
    India Opinion Cricket Tech Entertainment Sports Health Photostories
  • Asia Cup 2025
Apple Incorporated Modi ji Justin Trudeau Trending

Sections

  • Home
  • Live TV
  • Videos
  • Shows
  • World
  • India
  • Explainers
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Cricket
  • Health
  • Tech/Auto
  • Entertainment
  • Web Stories
  • Business
  • Impact Shorts

Shows

  • Vantage
  • Firstpost America
  • Firstpost Africa
  • First Sports
  • Fast and Factual
  • Between The Lines
  • Flashback
  • Live TV

Events

  • Raisina Dialogue
  • Independence Day
  • Champions Trophy
  • Delhi Elections 2025
  • Budget 2025
  • US Elections 2024
  • Firstpost Defence Summit
Trending:
  • Nepal protests
  • Nepal Protests Live
  • Vice-presidential elections
  • iPhone 17
  • IND vs PAK cricket
  • Israel-Hamas war
fp-logo
Aviation minister apologises for Rijiju and Fadnavis but Air India's problems run deep
Whatsapp Facebook Twitter
Whatsapp Facebook Twitter
Apple Incorporated Modi ji Justin Trudeau Trending

Sections

  • Home
  • Live TV
  • Videos
  • Shows
  • World
  • India
  • Explainers
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Cricket
  • Health
  • Tech/Auto
  • Entertainment
  • Web Stories
  • Business
  • Impact Shorts

Shows

  • Vantage
  • Firstpost America
  • Firstpost Africa
  • First Sports
  • Fast and Factual
  • Between The Lines
  • Flashback
  • Live TV

Events

  • Raisina Dialogue
  • Independence Day
  • Champions Trophy
  • Delhi Elections 2025
  • Budget 2025
  • US Elections 2024
  • Firstpost Defence Summit
  • Home
  • Business
  • Aviation minister apologises for Rijiju and Fadnavis but Air India's problems run deep

Aviation minister apologises for Rijiju and Fadnavis but Air India's problems run deep

FP Staff • July 3, 2015, 16:21:10 IST
Whatsapp Facebook Twitter

Air India has been in the news for all the wrong reasons this past week, prompting sceptics to again question the rationale of this government shying away from privatising the white elephant.

Advertisement
Subscribe Join Us
Add as a preferred source on Google
Prefer
Firstpost
On
Google
Aviation minister apologises for Rijiju and Fadnavis but Air India's problems run deep

New Delhi: The Minister of Civil Aviation today offered an unconditional apology for Air India’s abominable conduct in preferring VIP passengers over regular, paid ones and that is reassuring. But it does not even begin the address the problems Air India is faced with. In a hastily convened presser this evening, A Gajapathi Raju said “we regret it” even as he admitted that neither the sequence of events nor accountability in the recent episodes was clear as of now. The ministry continues to await a report from Air India on exactly what transpired on two flights which were allegedly delayed due to VIP tantrums. The minister also acknowledged that the Prime Minister’s Office has sought a detailed report on the two incidents. [caption id=“attachment_2317494” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] ![Representational image. PTI](https://images.firstpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/airindia380PTI1.jpg) Representational image. PTI[/caption] Now, after Air India does manage to submit a report of the two incidents, Raju will consult civil aviation secretary RN Choubey before deciding on a course of action. Though the minister hesitated to say what the action or actions would be, isn’t it only natural to expect some heads to roll in Air India for inconveniencing hundreds of passengers just for a handful of VIPs? Air India has been in the news for all the wrong reasons this past week, prompting sceptics to again question the rationale of this government shying away from privatising the white elephant. The airline continues to bleed despite thousands of crores having been pumped in as equity over the years, has missed key milestones of its turnaround plan and is facing stiff competition from private airlines. Now, to top it all, Air India was found allegedly putting paid passengers to inconvenience due to preference for VVIPs and their tantrums. This lead to flight delays on at least two occasions for entirely avoidable reasons. Should the government not do a serious rethink on its Air India fetish? First, there was an alleged incident, denied by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, where he delayed an Air India flight to the United States. An official e-mail available with CNN-IBN confirms that he did hold up the flight for 57 minutes. According to the email, the flight was delayed because Fadnavis’ principal secretary Praveen Pardeshi had forgotten to carry his old passport which had the US visa. The email further states that Fadnavis refused to leave without his principal secretary. The flight was delayed by close to an hour and the airline has claimed the delay was for a variety of reasons. The second incident allegedly happened on a Leh-Delhi flight, which was delayed for about an hour. Additionally, three booked passengers were offloaded, again allegedly to accommodate junior Home Minister Kiren Rijuju and the Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Nirmal Singh. Rijuju had contested this version of events but later issued an apology. Raju said these incidents should not have happened and will direct the airline to avoid them in future. It is interesting to note that though Raju has shown concern over inconveniencing passengers due to VIP tantrums, earlier this year, he had clearly stated in Parliament that privileges for Members of Parliament are not being reduced at Indian airports today. He had said that netas can continue to ask for tea/coffee free of charge, get access to terminal building, visitors’ gallery etc. And each airport operator will continue to be obliged to designate a protocol officer to deal with such individuals. But why should VIPs be allowed to delay flights or get booked passengers offloaded? This is a question which may haunt the civil aviation minister and the national carrier in weeks to come as they both grapple with an increasing sense of unease among the general public over privileges VIPs enjoy.

Tags
Business air india Aviation CompanyWatch Prime Minister's Office Civil aviation Devendra Fadnavis Kiren Rijuju A Gajapathi Raju Nirmal Singh RN Choubey Praveen Pardeshi
End of Article
Latest News
Find us on YouTube
Subscribe
End of Article

Impact Shorts

Tata Harrier EV vs Mahindra XEV 9e: Design and road presence compared

Tata Harrier EV vs Mahindra XEV 9e: Design and road presence compared

The Tata Harrier EV and Mahindra XEV 9e are new electric SUVs in India. The Harrier EV has a modern, familiar design, while the XEV 9e features a bold, striking look. They cater to different preferences: the Harrier EV for subtle elegance and the XEV 9e for expressive ruggedness.

More Impact Shorts

Top Stories

Israel targets top Hamas leaders in Doha; Qatar, Iran condemn strike as violation of sovereignty

Israel targets top Hamas leaders in Doha; Qatar, Iran condemn strike as violation of sovereignty

Nepal: Oli to continue until new PM is sworn in, nation on edge as all branches of govt torched

Nepal: Oli to continue until new PM is sworn in, nation on edge as all branches of govt torched

Who is CP Radhakrishnan, India's next vice-president?

Who is CP Radhakrishnan, India's next vice-president?

Israel informed US ahead of strikes on Hamas leaders in Doha, says White House

Israel informed US ahead of strikes on Hamas leaders in Doha, says White House

Israel targets top Hamas leaders in Doha; Qatar, Iran condemn strike as violation of sovereignty

Israel targets top Hamas leaders in Doha; Qatar, Iran condemn strike as violation of sovereignty

Nepal: Oli to continue until new PM is sworn in, nation on edge as all branches of govt torched

Nepal: Oli to continue until new PM is sworn in, nation on edge as all branches of govt torched

Who is CP Radhakrishnan, India's next vice-president?

Who is CP Radhakrishnan, India's next vice-president?

Israel informed US ahead of strikes on Hamas leaders in Doha, says White House

Israel informed US ahead of strikes on Hamas leaders in Doha, says White House

Top Shows

Vantage Firstpost America Firstpost Africa First Sports
Latest News About Firstpost
Most Searched Categories
  • Web Stories
  • World
  • India
  • Explainers
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Cricket
  • Tech/Auto
  • Entertainment
  • IPL 2025
NETWORK18 SITES
  • News18
  • Money Control
  • CNBC TV18
  • Forbes India
  • Advertise with us
  • Sitemap
Firstpost Logo

is on YouTube

Subscribe Now

Copyright @ 2024. Firstpost - All Rights Reserved

About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Cookie Policy Terms Of Use
Home Video Shorts Live TV