Air India asked to reconsider Arora's appointment

The civil aviation ministry has asked the Air India management to reconsider its decision to appoint Air India Express Chief Operating Officer Pawan Arora, after issues over his safety record and qualifications for the top job came under scrutiny.

Arora was appointed to the top job of running the state-owned airline’s low-cost operations, which would not include domestic operations from April next year.

“After DGCA’s report raised various concerns over the capabilities of Pawan Arora, we have asked Air India to reconsider his appointment as the COO. The Air India board is likely to take up the matter in the board meeting on November 11,” said a senior ministry official on conditions of annynonimity.

However, he clarified that the other appointments at Air India cleared by the board, including that of COO Gustav Baldauf, would not come under reconsideration at all. He also ruled out any move to give Air India Chairman Arvind Jadhav a deadline to meet targets.

Arora’s name had come under fire after details surfaced that he had been removed from the position of test pilot by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, as the appointment was found to be irregular. His subsequent appointment as a flight operations inspector was also scrapped by the regulator.