Despite having as many 100 aircrafts in its own fleet, Air India has floated an open tender to charter aircraft from outside to fly back 6,500 Indian nationals stuck in conflict-struck Iraq. The reasons cited for the decision range from crew's reluctance to expenditure estimates, said sources.
The tender issued on June 27 asks, on an urgent basis, for aircraft--both narrow and wide body--on a full charter to bring back the Indians from Iraq and Kuwait. A board member told Mirror the aircrafts will be chartered on wet-lease basis or hired along with pilots and cabin crew. "They will be flown under the supervision of Air India and payment will be made as per the number of block hours of operation," a senior official said.
30/06/14 Aditya Anand/Mumbai Mirror
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The tender issued on June 27 asks, on an urgent basis, for aircraft--both narrow and wide body--on a full charter to bring back the Indians from Iraq and Kuwait. A board member told Mirror the aircrafts will be chartered on wet-lease basis or hired along with pilots and cabin crew. "They will be flown under the supervision of Air India and payment will be made as per the number of block hours of operation," a senior official said.
30/06/14 Aditya Anand/Mumbai Mirror
