All top Air India appointments come under review

Vayalar Ravi, the new civil aviation minister, is reviewing all high-profile appointments okayed by his predecessor Praful Patel in Air India.

Air India had appointed chief operating officer (COO) Gustav Baldauf, chief training officer Stefan Sukumar and Air India Express chief operating officer Pawan Arora last year and their salary package together comes to about Rs8 crore annually.

These appointments have been in the limelight due to objections from various quarters on the need to hire such “expensive” outsiders when the ailing airline is unable to even pay salaries to its employees.

The January salaries were paid on Monday, against the normal practice of paying them on the first of every month.

On Friday, services of Pawan Arora were terminated on orders from Ravi and next in line could be the COO of Air India, Gustav Baldauf.

According to sources, the minister is awaiting a report by a panel constituted to look into the appointment of “expensive” hires and Baldauf’s head could roll eventually.

Baldauf was hired to function as the chief turnaround strategist for Air India, but questions have been raised over his handling of the shifting of Air India operations to the new T3 terminal at Delhi Airport last year, as also his choice of lieutenants in Arora and Sukumar.

Air India chairman and managing director Arvind Jadhav said: “I have no idea. His (Baldauf’s) appointment is board decision and haven’t seen any notes.”

Baldauf told DNA: “I was not asked to provide a report but gave a presentation on the turnaround plan last week.”

“I also gave a summary of my activities to the CMD and secretary of ministry. The ministry will meet the unions and management on Wednesday and Thursday.”

Even Sukumar has begun facing trouble. A two-member committee, which was set up to review his appointment is yet to present its views.

However, last week, the director general of Civil Aviation, the sector’s regulator, refused to hand over the Foreign Aircrew Temporary Authority or Fata licence to Sukumar, saying it now wants documents supporting his claims of flying and training hours.

Sukumar has 4,000 hours of flying experience and 1,000 hours of training experience, mostly with foreign carriers including Lufthansa.

Unless Sukumar gets Fata licence, he cannot operate in his new capacity as the chief of training.

So have discrepancies been found now in Sukumar’s  appointment also?

A civil aviation ministry official had said last week that the ministry found “nothing wrong” with Sukumar’s appointment.

Meanwhile, airline officials said the independent directors brought in by Praful Patel are also on their way out.

Last year, M&M vice-chairman and managing director Anand Mahindra, retired Air Force chief Fali H Major, Ambuja Group chairman Harshavardhan Neotia and Ficci secretary general Amit Mitra were appointed as independent directors on the airline’s board.

Though these eminent businessmen were brought in to turn around the loss-making airline, fissures appeared in the board soon after they joined.