Air India Board To Take Up Mclr Report On May 15

The Air India board of directors would meet in Delhi on May 15 to decide on the technical committee report on the acquisition of medium capacity long range aircraft (MCLR) for the airline.

Several committees have been appointed and numerous reports prepared and discussed on MCLR but still no decision has been taken by the board for the last two years, civil aviation minister C M Ibrahim told newsmen on Sunday at a felicitation function organised by the Indian Airlines Officers Association (IAOA).

He said the ministry would stand by the board decision as nowadays everybody is afraid of an enquiry. As long as there is transparency in the deal, why should anyone be afraid of deciding (on the report), he asked.

 

Ibrahim was confident that the MCLR acquisition, in which the Boeing 777, the Airbus A340 and MD -11 are in the race for the $2 billion deal, would be finalised in the next six months.

He said civil aviation secretary R K Kaw has been asked to carry out a total review of the airline operations and if necessary withdraw on loss making routes and allot the slots to foreign airlines on commercial terms.

The review is being carried out as the airline came under flak for severe curtailment of flights and withdrawing aircraft for Haj pilgrimage.

The minister said the air traffic controllers guild had been invited for a meeting in Delhi to discuss their problems in the wake of the recent strike, which led to total closure of Indian air space.

On the slums at Mumbai airport, Ibrahim said he had discussions with Maharashtra Chief Minister Manohar Joshi on rehabilitation of 50 per cent of these slum dwellers.

He said the Airports Authority of India (AAI) was willing to provide facilities to 50 per cent of the slum dwellers occupying airport land which were a hazard to airport operations. On the appointment of a common chairman for both the airlines, Ibrahim said several industrialists had approached him even as he had decided to nominate P C Sen for the post.

He also announced that one family member of an employee would be given employment in the airline and also asked the IA management to give cash awards as an incentive to the staff.

The regional director, P S Shetty said the airline had shown remarkable growth and for the first time after many years would show profits this year.