New Delhi: National carrier Air India on Friday grounded a pilot, co-pilot and seven ground employees after they were found guilty of having violated safety norms by allowing three extra passengers on board a fully-loaded Mumbai-Mangalore flight.
"We have de-rostered nine of our employees and have cancelled the licence of the pilot and the co-pilot who have been found involved in the incident. We will take severe action against those found guilty," said Jitender Bhargava, the carrier's executive director of corporate communications.
The safety breach was discovered by India's airline sector regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), when passengers had to be offloaded May 5 after the aircraft's door got damaged.
A woman was accommodated in the cockpit's jump seat behind the pilots, while two others were made to sit on folding seats meant for cabin crew.
The investigation by the DGCA also proved that boarding passes were prepared manually, which is illegal. The process of ticketing is completely computerised and the system automatically stops generating passes once the flight is full.
According to the security norms, no one is allowed inside the cockpit -- even cabin crews. This security procedure came into effect after the 9/11 terror strikes on the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York.
Under the rules, the DGCA can also initiate criminal proceedings against Air India for putting at risk the lives of passengers.
The carrier has come under the scanner for another reason. The country's official auditor Thursday reported operational irregularities at the company, such as paying more than regular rates to catering services and extra payment due to improper assessment of electricity needs.
The carrier is also in a financial mess with losses expected to have topped Rs.5,000 crore ($1 billion) last fiscal, forcing Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel to approach Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for a Rs.10,000-crore (about $2-billion) bailout package for the beleaguered carrier.
Last month, the carrier was also forced to delay the payment of salaries, apart from asking senior executives to forego a month's pay.
Air India is also headed for a management rejig.
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