Fleet expansion necessity for other carriers too: Former Air India chief

New Delhi (PTI): Nearly two decades ago, the then governmentowned Air India had an "extremely small fleet" of aircraft that was also prone to frequent breakdowns. Then, aircraft were taken on lease and later the airline placed orders for 111 planes.

Sangharsh Samiti, Praveen Deshwal claimed, "Around 70,000 employees have gathered today to protest. In Rajasthan, the Old Pension Scheme has been implemented. This Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) government does not talk to the employees. We will continue our peaceful protest."

So far the Punjab, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand governments have shown intentions to go back to the Old Pension Scheme, quashing the new pension scheme.

In the wake of Air India placing firm orders for 470 planes, V Thulasidas, who was the airline's chief from December 2003 to March 2008, said there was a necessity for fleet augmentation that will also help address the long-standing grievance that most of the Indians travelling international are carried by foreign airlines.

Prior to the latest order, the last time Air India placed orders for aircraft was in 2005 for 111 aircraft during the time of Thulasidas.

He also said India can have many such hubs as there are now worldclass airports and strong airlines.

AIR INDIA’S JUMBO ORDER BARES PILOT PINCH

Jumbo of air india group order for 470 planes

The spotlight has shifted to a major problem plaguing India’s roller-coaster aviation industry –the current pilot shortage that is about to widen. The big question on everyone’s mind within the airline and the larger industry is, “Where will the 7,000-8,000 pilots needed to fly these planes come from?”, especially at a time when India’s airlines have been plagued by delays and cancellations and have even been forced to find parking space for their planes due to lack of cockpit crew to fly them. And flight crew shortages are already taking their toll with pilots complaining of rising levels of fatigue, a less-than-reassuring trend in an industry where the margin for safety is negligible.

Surpassing Previous Record Of 2015

AIR INDIA EXPRESS

FLIGHT FROM DUBAI SEEKS ASSISTANCE DURING LANDING

An Air India Express flight from Dubai to Thiruvananthapuram sought assistance from the airport after the pilot experienced some problem during landing, an airline source said. "The pilot felt something uneasy during landing and sought assistance from the ATC. It was a normal landing at the scheduled arrival time of 6.30 AM.