Air India has out lived its utility. Air India thrived when state owned monopoly was the order. In a competitive environment, Air India as a State owned entity cannot survive. With load factor 22%, it is best to let Air India die. If Air India is wound up, it will save drain on the government. There are 30,000 employees, of which most are close to retirement. And the competent ones among the rest, can easily find another job. Government is act irresponsibly by allowing Air India to continue its business.
An alternative to survive is for Air India to become a 'Budget Airline' - serving 75% for the domestic sector and 25% for countries upto 6 hours travel overseas. This will effectively mean downsizing Air India by over 50% - both in fleet strength and employees. A deal must be struck with Unions. This is the only option left.
Re: Does India need Air India ?
by Ramadas on Mar 05, 2011 09:39 AM
Besides downsizing, the service crew should be renewd every fivwe years; extending contracts for further five years if they are proven competent. At present, old men and old ladies, who should be looking after grandchildren, are serving as service crew. In other airlines young men and chicks serving with elegence.
The money being wasted on this white elephant called air india belongs to average tax paying Indian and not to members of the "Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture" or Con-gressmen. Who gets the benefit? You guessed it Sonia, her son and their lackeys or other ruling, corrupt and in memebers of standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture or similar nonsense. Average Indian whose money is being abused probably has never been near Air Indian airline let alone fly it. Privatize it asap you crooks! Other nations wth less crooks have eg IN UK, France, Spain, USA, Germany, Japan etc airlines are private you dont have this day light robbery where dirt poor citizen's money is being use to provide freebies for alread corrupt, rich and powerful elite.
Re: Direct and indirect theft
by Das on Mar 04, 2011 08:35 PM
Do you think Sonia, her son, daughter, grandson, Chid, MMs and other goons and their family and extedned frieds pay for flying Air india? This scum Praful Patil is sidekick of crook Pawar and in right company of sonai's mafia culture. They and their ilk has been looting Air India and other public utilities like top notch hotels and resorts for decades. If one was to audit and charge these crooks that will make Raja scam look puny by comparison. But Indian masses who vote them remain largely ill-informed and in some due to alliance as in WB vote them in by default. But it is upto more informed among us to stop this multifaceted, everexploding robbery by seemingly whiter than white crooks.
It is not the job of the government to run airlines and hotels.Let private players run it. If it is profitable, it will remain in the game or else the shutter will come down. Tax payers should not be penalised for the inefficiencies of PSU employees. Most important thing is that senior officials are appointed from IAS caders. They may be good administers but not good business people. Air Line is a business and should be run by people who knows business.
Re: Privatise Air India
by Das on Mar 04, 2011 08:27 PM
Its worse Air India is just another, apparently respectable way of looting unsuspecting public using such emotive issue as "national" "Indian" "not private". Commie crooks MPs are helping in this loot of public by insisting this and other similar PSU remain under India's notoriously corrupt, inefficient and wholely unrelaible whitedhotiwalas.
I agree with the committee. Like all PSU employees, Air India employees are the responsibility of the nation and should be paid handsome salaries whether they work or not.
