AI suspends pilot for not turning up to operate inaugural Mumbai-Bhopal flight

New Delhi: The National carrier Air India has suspended one of its commanders as he failed to turn up to operate the airline’s first flight to Mumbai from Bhopal.

The Government-run airline had recently announced the roll out of several new flights and routes as part of the summer schedule, which commenced from last Sunday, with Mumbai-Bhopal being one among those.

“The commander wanted to go to Delhi. But when he came to know that the flight was not heading to Delhi but Mumbai he went missing, leaving the flyers in the lurch,” an Air India official said.

The incident took place on Sunday, they added.

This last minute non-availability of the pilot left airline in a piquant situation as cancelling the inaugural flight would have sent wrong signals to the customers, the official said, adding, “ Air India some how managed to get a commander for the Airbus A320 plane and operate the flight.”

“The commander was immediately taken off the duty and subsequently placed under suspension for this gross indiscipline,” the official said.

The swift action against the “indiscipline” commander is in line with Air India Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani’s emphasis on maintaining highest standards of integrity in the airline’s workforce.

“The organisation will always maintain zero intolerance to indiscipline,” Lohani had said in a letter to his over 22,000 strong workforces after he took over the helm of the Government-run airline.