Pilot union is furious after Air India appoints as its head of operations SPS Suri, a pilot with a long record of endangering passengers, turning up late (or not at all) and even falling asleep on flights.
Beleaguered national carrier Air India sparked a fresh controversy by appointing as it head of operations a pilot with a laundry list of operational violations. SPS Suri (58), who has been with the airline since 1983, has over a dozen violations to his name, including two in 2012.
Pilots' unions have strongly opposed the move. A senior member of the Civil Aviation Safety Advisory Committee (CASAC) has written to the chariman and managing director of Air India about Suri's appointment. "The biggest violator is now our boss. How the management and the ministry want to run the show is pretty clear. Now the only option is to quit the airline and look for another job," said a senior pilot from the Indian Commercial Pilots Association.
Documents available with Mumbai Mirror describe Suri's many operational lapses. On July 5, 2012, he was operating Air India flight 348 from Delhi to Shanghai when the flight reported major mid-air turbulence. Over 20 passengers, including two cabin crew members, sustained serious injuries, and baggage lockers, arm rests and lavatories were also damaged.
20/12/13 Bipin Kumar Singh/Mumbai Mirror
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Beleaguered national carrier Air India sparked a fresh controversy by appointing as it head of operations a pilot with a laundry list of operational violations. SPS Suri (58), who has been with the airline since 1983, has over a dozen violations to his name, including two in 2012.
Pilots' unions have strongly opposed the move. A senior member of the Civil Aviation Safety Advisory Committee (CASAC) has written to the chariman and managing director of Air India about Suri's appointment. "The biggest violator is now our boss. How the management and the ministry want to run the show is pretty clear. Now the only option is to quit the airline and look for another job," said a senior pilot from the Indian Commercial Pilots Association.
Documents available with Mumbai Mirror describe Suri's many operational lapses. On July 5, 2012, he was operating Air India flight 348 from Delhi to Shanghai when the flight reported major mid-air turbulence. Over 20 passengers, including two cabin crew members, sustained serious injuries, and baggage lockers, arm rests and lavatories were also damaged.
20/12/13 Bipin Kumar Singh/Mumbai Mirror
