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16 Dec, 2012

Suspect Suspended in Air India Charters Cabin Crew Roster Malpractice Probe

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Ministry of Civil Aviation, 14-December, 2012 –  Union Minister of Civil Aviation Shri Ajit Singh has taken a serious note of the complaints of irregularities, corruption and malpractices in the Cabin Crew Roster Section of Air India Charters Ltd. (AICL) and has ordered penal action against the officials involved. When a complaint in this regard to Civil Aviation Minister was investigated, it was found that rampant discrimination and favoritism by the officials of the Section in allocation of duties among cabin crew led to very low average utilization of Delhi based cabin crew of AICL during the last six months and very few flights have been allotted to them.

The Minister has ordered immediate termination of the services of a temporary employee, namely Mr Ashwini Aryan, in this regard, who was holding the post of Crew Scheduling Assistant in the Operations Department of AICL in Delhi. The Minister has also ordered penal action against Aryan’s supervisor and the officers who appointed him. The investigation also revealed that Aryan was first appointed for a six months period in June 2011 at Kochi without following necessary procedures. The post against which he was appointed was also not advertised.

The Minister has also cautioned the authorities against indulging in any such malpractices in future. After introduction of computerized Crew Management System for cabin crew as well as pilots, the subjectivity in terms of putting these staff on duties will be minimized and scope of malpractices eliminated.