Air India top brass on Thursday met leaders of two pilots' unions and assured them that their problems would be looked into, especially those relating to the wage structure.
The National Aviation Company Ltd, which runs Air India, today named Gustav Baldauf as its chief operating officer.
AI's chairman and managing director, Arvind Jadhav, and the ministry's joint secretary and airline board member Prashant Sukul, along with other senior officials, met half the unions today in Delhi. The meeting will continue on Friday and they will also meet the rest of the 14 unions.
The panel, which is a sub-committee of the Air India board, was set up on Tuesday following which the executive pilots withdrew their five-day long agitation against slashing of their productivity-linked incentive and flying allowance by half.
The Air India board has decided to reduce by 50 per cent the productivity-linked incentives or flying allowance payable to its employees.
Some of the operational goals the carrier has set for itself are 25 million domestic and 15 million international passengers by 2015.
Sanjay Nirupam, Congress Member of Parliament from North Mumbai constituency, raked up the issue in the Lok Sabha on Friday, saying that the gag order was wrong as it infringed upon the rights of the airline's employees.
Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi said the government was considering extending financial support to Air India.
Air India CMD Arvind Jadhav requested all executives in the level of general managers and above to voluntarily forego salaries and incentives for July as a gesture to ease the liquidity crunch faced by the airline, an Air India spokesperson told PTI. The airline is facing a possible industrial unrest with employees threatening agitation in case their June salary is not given by this month-end.
Cash-strapped Air India, whose management has been considering slashing salaries and allowances of its employees, has signed an MoU with its officers' association to pay interim relief which would put an annual burden of Rs 36 crore.
Four committees had been set up in August under various functional directors of the airline, each focusing on a specific segment of the PLI to review the entire issue of performance payments after the unions rejected a 50 per cent 'unilateral' cut proposed by the National Aviation Company of India Limited management.
In just the last quarter, the airline's market share has fallen from 17.8 per cent to 16.9 per cent.
Halving the productivity-linked incentive will make its salary levels unattractive and put a heavier burden on junior staffers.
Twelve bodies of the victims of the Air India plane crash in Mangalore were yet to be identified, said AI Managing Director Arvind Jadhav. "I regret what has happened," he said, adding that AI will provide Rs 10 lakh compensation to the families of victims above the age of 12 and Rs 5 lakh for the kin of those below that age.He also announced compensation of Rs two lakh for the injured victims, but added that AI was in consultation with insurance companies.
"We are meeting the chairman on Thursday to express our view point on his recent directive, barring Air India staff from travelling in business-class/first-class," an Indian Pilots Guild member said. The IGP is opposed to the move on the ground that it would not fetch any financial benefits to the national carrier, the pilot said, adding, "During the meet, IPG would offer alternative strategies which will result in effective means of controlling costs and boosting revenue."
The board meeting of the state-owned airlines was also attended by Arvind Jadhav, for the first time since he took over as Nacil CMD after the sudden exit of erstwhile chairman Raghu Menon from the company. However, sources in the company said no final decision could be taken as the issue would be discussed with the new government and the civil aviation ministry.
Air India's top brass will now travel like kings with the austerity drive having been given a quiet burial. The airline issued an order on November 27 saying that the airline's chairman and managing director Arvind Jadhav and his spouse can travel first class on its flights, whether on work or on vacation. Not only that, parents and children of the serving chief executive can travel business class during vacation on Air India flights.
The National Aviation Company of India Ltd, that runs the government's flagship carrier Air India, has formally begun looking for a chief operating officer to steer the airline as part of its restructuring plan.
Air India has readied a new revival plan that would see the national carrier turning around in 2-3 year, says AI chariman Arvind Jadhav.
The Raj Thackeray-led MNS senses an opportunity after the Shiv Sena-UBT candidate's lead fell to less than 7,000 votes in the Worli assembly segment during the recent Lok Sabha polls.
The airline had made a three-year turnaround plan in 2009-10.
All Indian athletes who've qualified for the paralympic games
This will be the first major electoral test after the political realignment that emerged in 2019.
The Bharatiya Janata Party suffered a setback in Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra on Tuesday, with its tally dwindling by less than half compared to 2019, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi of Congress, Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray and the Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar was on a roll, pocketing 30 of the 48 seats.
The constituency of Mumbai South, home to industrialists as well as high-ranking government officials, fared the worst with 47.7 percent voting.
Bharatiya Janata Party's National Democratic Alliance partners have got five cabinet ministerial berths in the third term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as against none in the outgoing government, given the party's dependence on allies for a majority in the Lok Sabha.
National Democratic Alliance nominee Om Birla was elected as Lok Sabha speaker on Wednesday after a motion moved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was adopted through voice vote, capping intense debate on the issue with the opposition in a rare move proposing its own candidate.
'So many butterflies when the movie is released and so much tension. And that is for each and every film.' 'It never changes.'
Kulbhushan Jadhav's friends, who have known him since childhood, recall a man tough on the outside but full of compassion inside.
PV Sindhu will be up against Cheung Ngan Yi of Hong Kong in the badminton singles group stage event.
'The margin of victory or loss would make both camps rethink their strategies for the 2024 assembly election in Maharashtra.'
India on Wednesday hailed the verdict of the International Court of Justice in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case
Flag bearer Tek Chand will lead the Indian contingent -- India will be represented by 54 para athletes, the biggest ever contingent in the history of the Games.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday said Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has recognised Rahul Shewale as the Shiv Sena leader in the Lower House of Parliament.
The Army Sports Institute's stadium in Pune has been renamed after Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Neeraj Chopra.
The results of Indian athletes participating in the Olympics on Day 5.
Following is India's schedule at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday, July 24.
After the Shiv Sena's division in Maharashtra assembly, its parliamentary party was also staring at a split with several MPs set to petition Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to recognise them as a separate group.
'With each ED, CBI raid on us the BJP thinks we will soften down.' 'But every such raid has strengthened the resolve of Shiv Sena leaders.'
