Ailing Air India needs an effective administrator with full powers and political backing to take urgent decisions for a turnaround, a top global aviation official has said.
"If you delay it (merger of human resources of the two erstwhile carriers) further, it becomes a mess. Between Indian Airlines and Air India there are many (salary) grades. If it doesn't integrate well, then it becomes a nightmare," IATA chief Giovanni Bisignani told PTI here.
To questions on the acute problems faced by the Indian national carrier, he expressed "disappointment" over the crucial pending issues relating to the merger of the two former state-run airlines and said "there has to be a political consensus because it has to happen fast".
The merger, including integration of employees, "is something to be handled in a very effective manner. Put an administrator with full powers. It has taken too much time."
"The administrator should take full responsibility to take tough decisions. But the decision has to be a political decision. Therefore, the (administrator's) decisions need political support," the Director General and CEO of global airlines' body International Air Transport Association said.
"Give, say, six months time to it (administrator to take decisions). But before giving any time-frame, make the airline smaller and efficient," Bisignani said.
"I am not giving any advise. But this limbo situation cannot be allowed to continue for long. It is a problem for the passenger, the airline as well as the government as it continues to burn the national budget. It also creates problems for safety," he said.