Problems relating to disparity in wage structure and seniority among employees of Air India after its merger with erstwhile Indian Airlines are likely to be resolved by a panel chaired by a retired judge.
A suggestion that these issues be tackled in-depth by a committee headed by a retired judge has been made by Civil Aviation Minister Valayar Ravi during his meetings with leaders of 14 unions of the state-run carrier.
"After a two-day meeting with all the employees' unions of Air India, I have suggested formation of a committee headed by a retired judge to resolve their issues relating to service matter," Ravi said after inaugurating the Centenary Celebration of Civil Aviation in India here.
The function marked the launch of the first commercial flight in India -- between Allahabad and Naini on February 18, 1911, which delivered about 6,500 letters.
The Minister said the unions have agreed to cooperate with the government to bring the national carrier out of red.
To questions on lack of manpower integration between the two erstwhile public sector airlines even after almost four years of their merger, Ravi acknowledged that there were "some problems" but said "these can be resolved through talks".
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Asked about charges that Air India had given away many profitable routes, both domestic and international, to private competitors, he said it was "not the time to blame but to run the institution and get out of the situation".
The Minister said more fund were needed to bring Air India out of red but refused to disclose the amount, saying he would discuss the issue with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee before taking a decision.
Inaugurating the celebrations, Ravi said there was a need to redefine the parameter of safety and for this, the regulatory body -- Directorate General of Civil Aviation -- would be restructured.
Maintaining that India was considered safest in the civil aviation sector, he said the US Federal Aviation Authority recently called the country a role model for the Asia-Pacific region on aviation safety.
Terming aviation as a sunrise sector for the national economy, he said that every $100 spent brings $325 for the economy and each of the 100 additional jobs created in air transport result in 610 new jobs in the economy.
Noting that the number of planes in the country had grown from 100 to 435 in the last two decades, Ravi said this growth would further accelerate and "we expect that in another decade or so, India would have about 1,000 more planes and 500 more helicopters".
He said the handling capacity of Indian airports has risen to 235 million people, which was "sufficient to fulfil our needs for the next few years".