Disruption of services at Kozhikode caused by foreign pilots celebrating vacation: AI

Malappuram: Air India (AI) will phase out all its foreign pilots within a year. The failure of several foreign pilots who went on Christmas vacation to resume duty on time had disrupted Air India’s services from Calicut International Airport over the weekend. Air India Express Chief Operating Officer Ansbert D’Souza and Air India Engineering Director and Board member K.M. Unni told newspersons at the Calicut International Airport, Karipur, on Thursday that the action of foreign pilots had inconvenienced the airline and the passengers.
Mr. Unni said all foreign commanders of Air India would be replaced by Indian pilots within a year. He said Air India Express services from Karipur were crippled as most of the pilots were foreigners, who went on leave during Christmas. Air India could not substitute them as flying to Karipur, which is a critical airport with a tabletop runway walled by several hills, required special licence from the Director General of Civil Aviation.
01/01/10 The Hindu

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Categories: Air India Budget Jan 2010, Airports Jan 2010, Foreign Jan 2010, NACIL Jan 2010