New Delhi:
With losses of over 5,000 crore for the financial year ending March the national carrier, Air India is looking at ways it can change its story.
The Maharaja is desperately trying to survive. It is looking for a new Chief Operating Officer considering paycuts and of course asking for a bigger better bailout package from the government.
But here's the kicker, the company will now have to ensure that all Civil Aviation Secretaries current and former get upgraded to first class every time they fly, domestic or international for the rest of their lives.
D Raja, Rajya Sabha MP, CPI: "Everybody knows that after a certain point, people get upgraded... what I don't understand is why it's being made official for just a handful of people... What message is the Ministry and Air India trying to give?"
The Ministry argues that this decision will not affect Air India's finances.
"This is only for a handful of people, possibly less than twenty. Most of them are old and have spent their lives serving the Industry responsibly. We think that this is a way to reward them for their services, just as we reward former Civil Aviation Ministers and Air India Chairpersons."
This statement does not explain how a further drain on an ailing organization as well as on the tax-payers money makes sense during the ongoing state of economic instability but it appears to be another nail in the coffin for Air India.
The Maharaja is desperately trying to survive. It is looking for a new Chief Operating Officer considering paycuts and of course asking for a bigger better bailout package from the government.
But here's the kicker, the company will now have to ensure that all Civil Aviation Secretaries current and former get upgraded to first class every time they fly, domestic or international for the rest of their lives.
D Raja, Rajya Sabha MP, CPI: "Everybody knows that after a certain point, people get upgraded... what I don't understand is why it's being made official for just a handful of people... What message is the Ministry and Air India trying to give?"
The Ministry argues that this decision will not affect Air India's finances.
"This is only for a handful of people, possibly less than twenty. Most of them are old and have spent their lives serving the Industry responsibly. We think that this is a way to reward them for their services, just as we reward former Civil Aviation Ministers and Air India Chairpersons."
This statement does not explain how a further drain on an ailing organization as well as on the tax-payers money makes sense during the ongoing state of economic instability but it appears to be another nail in the coffin for Air India.
