‘Poor’ Air India made 10 pilots super rich in 6 months

New Delhi: Debt-ridden Air India (AI), which is seeking a bailout package from the Union government, paid significant amounts to pilots who hardly flew.
DNA has in its possession confidential internal audit documents of the national carrier which reveal that 10 pilots of sister concern Alliance Air were paid on an average Rs88,000 per flying hour for six months beginning January 2010 — total Rs2.87 crore.
The office of R Dayal, executive director (internal audit), examined the payment.
A pilot has to fly a minimum of 80 hours per month, but these 10 hardly flew. Taking advantage of a dubious contract, some of them flew two hours in six months, some 11, while others flew 12 hours.
The contract extraordinarily hikes the allowance
per hour from Rs4,750 to Rs9,150 without valid giving any reason. Besides, it fixes an amount of Rs2,200 per night stop.
The most glaring example is that of Captain Satbir Singh who flew only two hours in six months but was paid in excess of Rs20 lakh, making him perhaps the costliest pilot in India with an average asking rate of Rs10 lakh per hour.
The audit notes that the 80-hours-per-month limit in itself is way beyond the average flying hours clocked by Air India pilots.
06/12/10 Pradip R Sagar/Daily News & Analysis

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Categories: Air India Dec 2010, Air India Regional Dec 2010