The Mumbai-Singapore A-330 flight did not take off Jan 1 mid-night because of non-availability of the crew. On preliminary enquiry, it was found that Capt. R.S. Dhillon was supposed to fly the said flight.
However, because of his suspension on Dec 31, 2012 for irregularities regarding fudging of records of simulator training, he became ineligible to fly.
This information was available with Samant who was in-charge of scheduling. However, he made no alternative arrangement for crew and as a result the flight had to be cancelled, putting 220 passengers at great inconvenience.
The minister found this a gross dereliction of duty by Samant and asked the airline management to immediately remove him from the post, said an official release.
The minister also ordered an inquiry into the incident.
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