New Delhi: EK Bharat Bhushan, who was abruptly shunted out as the Director General of Civil Aviation recently, is being shifted to the Steel Ministry, official sources said on Friday. Bhushan will take over as Additional Secretary and Financial Adviser (AS&FA) in the Steel Ministry, swapping postings with Machendranathan who would join the Civil Aviation Ministry in his position as Additional secretary. Both Bhushan and Machendranathan belong to the 1979...
08:28 PM, Jul 13, 2012
The letter accessed by CNN-IBN reveals that the Vijay Mallya-owned airline had been served a notice of 15 days to pay the salaries and dues of its employees. ...
11:09 PM, Jul 12, 2012
New Delhi: Conciliation talks between the Air India management and the pilots before the Deputy Chief Labour Commission concluded on Thursday and the report will be submitted to the Delhi High Court on Friday. The airline management is understood to have made submissions during the parleys on major issues, including reinstatement of 101 sacked pilots, on which the aviators had some reservations. On the second day of negotiations yesterday, there...
09:53 PM, Jul 12, 2012
New Delhi: Director General of Civil Aviation Bharat Bhushan was reportedly sacked soon after signing a letter terminating Kingfisher Airlines' licence for not paying its employees for several months. The letter terminating Kingfisher's licence was signed by Bhushan for not complying with several assurances that the operator had given that all its employees would be paid their salaries and dues. However, speaking to CNBC-TV18 Bhushan said that he had not...
06:52 PM, Jul 11, 2012
New Delhi: In a new twist to the row over the removal of Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), it has now come to the light that the extension given to Bharat Bhushan as DGCA was cleared by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and there was nothing wrong with the decision given by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet. Sources say that the extension was done with the approval of all the...
05:47 PM, Jul 11, 2012
New Delhi: Former Civil Aviation minister Vayalar Ravi on Wednesday said that the sacking of DGCA Bharat Bhushan came as a surprise to him as Bhushan was "one of the finest officers" he had known. "Bharat Bhushan is one of the finest officers... He believes in norms. When I was incharge of Civil Aviation, he took all efforts to check corrupt practices... agents. He never spared Air India. I gave...
02:27 PM, Jul 11, 2012
Before we answer that question, let's first survey the grim reality. For the past five months, about 4,500 employees of the airline haven't been paid their salary. Many of them say they can't quit because they won't get a single dime out of their dues from their employer. Airports, which allowed the red and white aircraft to land and take off, haven't been paid either. Faced with the spectre of...
11:35 AM, Jul 09, 2012
New Delhi: There was no end in sight to the 49-day-old Air India pilots strike with the government on Monday making it clear that they have to return to work "unconditionally" and the pilots insisting that sack orders be withdrawn immediately. "We want them to come back (to work). All they have to do is to come back unconditionally to work. They never gave a notice (of going on strike)....
12:25 PM, Jun 25, 2012
Mumbai/New Delhi: After posting a loss of Rs 298 crore in the last quarter, Jet Airways has sought government clearance to scale down its flights to the northeastern region by about half to stem the losses. The airline, which currently operates around 38 daily services in several northeastern destinations, has written to the Civil Aviation Ministry to allow it bring these operations down by nearly 50 per cent, sources said,...
12:30 PM, Jun 24, 2012
Hyderabad: Virtually sounding a warning to the striking Air India pilots, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on Sunday said the government is not waiting for the pilots to return to work but making plans to move ahead. Reminding the pilots and other employees that their survival was linked to Air India, he said that nobody is going to give anymore public money to the airline and "they will not survive...
05:49 PM, Jun 17, 2012
New Delhi: The Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday said that it wanted the Civil Aviation Ministry to sort out the ongoing crisis at Air India "amicably" and that it was not in favour of sacking the striking pilots. Sources of the PMO said, "The PMO wants the Civil Aviation Ministry to come to a solution as soon as possible. The issue should be sorted amicably." They added, "The PMO is...
05:39 PM, Jun 12, 2012
New Delhi: With no resolution in sight to the Air India pilots strike, the Civil Aviation Ministry seems ready to crack the whip. Do 300 pilots of the erstwhile Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) stand to loose their jobs? And what would that mean for the airline? Nearly 440 Air India pilots have been on agitation for over 35 days, of which 101 have been sacked already, and the remaining still...
08:48 PM, Jun 11, 2012
New Delhi: With Air India considering further crackdown on the striking pilots, Civil Aviation Ministry sources say that the government has a back up plan and is prepared to manage without the IPG pilots. The government on Monday said it is for airlines management to decide for how long to keep them on their payroll when they are not working. "It is for the Air India management to take action...
04:04 PM, Jun 11, 2012
CNN-IBN's Karma Paljor spoke to Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh about the ongoing crisis in Air India. ...
02:33 PM, Jun 11, 2012
New Delhi: A further crackdown on the striking Air India pilots is being contemplated by the management and that 300 pilots could be dismissed with the 35-day-old strike on Sunday showing no signs of being called off. Around 400 Air India pilots owing allegiance to Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) are on strike since May 7 and the services of 101 pilots have already been terminated. Sources in the state-owned airline...
11:19 PM, Jun 10, 2012
New Delhi: With the aviation sector facing acute crisis, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh is unhappy over the recent increase in service tax on air tickets and high jet fuel price and would take up the issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for a re-look into the matter. Ajit Singh, who has already written to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and plans to consult him again, underlines that the increase effected...
10:40 AM, Jun 10, 2012
New Delhi: After virtually shutting the doors on 100 sacked Air India pilots, the government is working on a plan to replace them with those shed by some private airlines like Jet Airways. Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on Thursday said alternative plans were being made to ensure that operations of the state-run carrier were normalised within two-three months so that the revival plan could be put in place. Observing...
11:56 PM, Jun 07, 2012
New Delhi: The government is finally taking visible steps to end its policy paralysis. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is slated to meet key economic ministers on Wednesday to review their performance. During the meeting, the ministers for Coal, Shipping, Railways, Civil Aviation and Power will be presenting their proposals. The Prime Minister is also expected to present a blueprint and deadline to bring the economy back on track at the...
05:58 PM, Jun 06, 2012
New Delhi: Air India is going to induct about 100 new pilots in the next few months, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said on Wednesday while virtually shutting the doors for striking pilots, asking those sacked to apply afresh. Indicating that the 101 sacked pilots could be replaced by new ones, Singh said 90 pilots were currently undergoing training and would be available for flying in August. "We're making sure...
05:28 PM, Jun 06, 2012
New Delhi: Concerned over high service tax substantially raising air ticket prices, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh has urged Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to revert to the earlier rates which were capped at Rs 100 and Rs 500 per domestic and international ticket. Noting that jet fuel prices in India were significantly higher than in most parts of the world due to high tax rates, he has also strongly advocated...
05:17 PM, Jun 06, 2012
