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The issue of continuity in the top leadership in Air India remains one of the key issues worrying the top brass of Star Alliance, the 28-member global airline alliance which Air India joined in July last year.
Rohit Nandan, Chairman and Managing Director, Air India, is due to complete his tenure in August this year. The Government is yet to announce his successor. Under Nandan, the airline was able to successfully complete its integration into Star Alliance.
Last year, days before Nandan’s tenure was to come to an end, the alliance had flagged this issue in a letter to the Government. The Government gave Nandan an extension as CMD AI before his term came to an end last year. However, this time, no communication has gone out from Star to the Indian Government.
Speaking to BusinessLine at the 71st Annual General Meeting of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on whether Air India had delivered on the promises made at the time of joining Star Alliance, senior officials said since the Indian national carrier joined the Alliance, member airlines have seen an increase in passengers being carried by them, especially from cities to which the foreign airlines do not operate.
``Many of the Alliance partners have told us that they have seen a huge uptake in passenger uplift from India since Air India joined. And with Air India planning to shift its operations from London Heathrow to the new Queen’s Terminal, the number of passengers from India who will be able to transfer seamlessly to other Star Alliance member airlines is set to increase,” Mark Schwab, Chief Executive Officer, Star Alliance told BusinessLine .
Questioned on various reports of cabin crew shortages and crews’ actions affecting operations at Air India, the official said, ``Taken in isolation these issues seem enormous and something which affects only Air India. But a closer scrutiny of records will show that unfortunately irregularities happen. The only solution is to put in place mechanisms to check such practices and not endanger the safety and security of safe passenger flights. This is something Air India is doing.”
(This correspondent is in Miami at the invitation of the International Air Travel Association (IATA)
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