NEW DELHI— Congress MP and former Information & Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari on Friday called for the government to take back control of Air India from the Tata Group, claiming the airline is in disarray under private ownership.
“The airline is a complete management mess. There are hardly any competent aviation professionals running Air India. The privatization has been a disaster,” Tewari posted on X.
He criticized widespread delays and cancellations, writing, “Flights cancelled at the drop of a hat, flights delayed without any explanation whatsoever.”
Tewari also claimed the airline is being run by executives from unrelated Tata businesses. “Pilots and crew tell me that people who grow tea at Tata Tea, make steel at Tata Steel, and cars at Tata Motors are now running Air India,” he said. He noted that some of these individuals were “people I have known personally over the past 40 years and are sound professionals,” but maintained they lacked aviation expertise. The post was also tagged to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
His remarks follow yet another incident involving the airline: a London-bound flight (AI-2017) from Delhi was forced to return to the bay on Thursday after the cockpit crew detected a suspected technical issue before takeoff.
Air India said all required safety procedures were followed and that a replacement aircraft was being arranged. “Our ground staff is extending all support and care to the guests to minimize inconvenience caused due to this unexpected delay. At Air India, the safety and well-being of our passengers remain the top priority,” the airline said.
The incident comes amid mounting scrutiny of Air India’s operations. Just days earlier, the DGCA flagged 51 safety lapses during its annual audit of the airline. These included outdated training manuals, incomplete pilot training, unqualified simulators, and irregularities in low-visibility operation approvals.
Of the violations, seven were classified as critical Level I breaches, which the airline was ordered to address by July 30. The remaining 44 non-compliances must be resolved by August 23.
The DGCA has also grounded an Air India aircraft over an overdue inspection of its emergency evacuation slide — a critical safety feature — and issued three show-cause notices to the airline, demanding responses within 15 days.
Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol told Parliament that the aircraft in question was grounded until all necessary inspections were completed. (Source: IANS)
