Air India orders probe into delayed departure of Chennai-Male flight

CHENNAI: Air India has ordered an investigation into the delayed departure of a Chennai-Thiruvananthapuram-Male flight (AI 263) on Wednesday.

There have been two versions of the two-hour delay. The captain had applied for sick leave on Tuesday, complaining of high blood pressure, but he was asked to report for the 7am flight on Wednesday. The airport medical department registered his blood pressure as 160/ 90 and made him rest for two hours. He piloted the flight which departed at 9.15am with 110 passengers.

Some other reports attributed the delay to the captain insisting on a particular woman co-pilot to fly with him. When asked about this report, Air India chairman and managing director Ashwani Lohani told TOI, “We will investigate the reasons behind the delay of the flight. I never said that the pilot asked for a particular co-pilot. The inquiry is not into whether he asked for a woman co-pilot or not. It will look at the cause of delay. Such incidents affect the airline’s reputation.”

An officer in the senior management of the airline in the southern region denied reports that the pilot wanted a specific co-pilot. “I have no reports that he asked for a specific person to fly with him. He asked for an experienced co-pilot. It is also wrong to say that the pilot was forced to fly,” he said.

Sources said linking the pilot to the woman was a result of internal politics of the national carrier. A senior officer said, “There is a lot of power struggle and ego clashes among senior pilots of the airline.”

The captain, meanwhile, has shot off a letter to the southern region executive director explaining the sequence of events. According to the letter, the pilot asked to be rostered on a 10.30am flight because he operated a night flight from Mumbai to Dubai on Monday night and to Chennai on Tuesday. He called sick because of fatigue.

When the operations person informed him that he could not be placed on flights that departed later in the day on Wednesday, the letter said, “I asked at least to provide an experienced co-pilot as the rostered co-pilot on AI 263 was inexperienced, and I myself was not rested properly,” says the letter. He also wanted the authorities to look into the reasons why at least four pilots refused to take the 7am duty.

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