The Truth About the Air India Decline

Saturday, 12th October 2013 at 05:03am

Aside from the fact that Air India is heavily indebted and struggling to its feet for the past eight years, the national flag carrier is also heavily subsidized by the government siphoning much needed cash from public funds which would otherwise be spent on other basic services.

In his latest book, 'The Descent of Air India', Jitender Bhargava detailed how Air India repeatedly faltered and stumbled in most of its existence since the merger with another state-owned Indian Airlines in 2006. Each time the airline struggled for survival, the government came to the rescue and bailed out the carrier from eventual bankruptcy.

Jitender Bhargava was a former executive director of Air India and had a first-hand knowledge on the airline's 'highs and lows' during his stint.

He admitted that writing a book detailing a story about Air India which has long been an institution for most Indians, is not easy as he is fully aware how truth could sometimes hurt. But he decided to pursue the publication of the book saying he was prepared to face any legal actions thrown against him by people who might have taken offense by his revelation.

According to him, the book is a documentation of "documentation of misdeeds and misdemeanours" which escaped probe by concerned agencies.

He disclosed that the government failed to take action every time it was warned of the airline's faltering operations. It was also revealed in his book how some influential persons made it appear that the state-owned airline's accounts are in the black, for up to five years. Little did the people know that the airline was bleeding and was about to go bankrupt until a new chairman declared its real financial status in 2009. By then, the carrier was already having a difficult time paying for the salaries of its employees.

He narrated in his book that there are odd, if not downright funny, decisions that contributed to the airline's faltering financial health. One instance was when the airline management got suggestion from the civil aviation minister to offer inflight ayurvedic massage service to passengers. The airline, at first, didn't take it seriously considering the nature of the service but the minister was persistent in his demand. He finally conceded when he was told the strong scent of oil could waft through the aircraft.

Another problem that bugged the airline was its leadership. It said that chairmanship in the airline sometimes held by people who were not really dedicated to the welfare of the company.

By: Pete Lee.