The civil aviation ministry on Thursday sought to dismiss claims that E K Bharat Bhushan’s alleged move to cancel the licence of Kingfisher Airlines (KFA) led to his removal as the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday. The IAS officer, according to officials with the ministry, had himself given a clean chit to the Vijay Mallya-owned company on safety issues arising out of its adverse financial condition.
The “clarification” from the officials comes in the wake of allegations that concerns about KFA’s safety were prompting Bhushan to “cancel” its licence.
A May 25 letter to Kingfisher from the DGCA, which had conducted a financial surveillance of the airline in November-December 2011 from the safety perspective, said the matter had been found in order. “However, KFA must ensure that in-house system is made proactive to ensure that the discrepancies observed on safety issues do not recur,” it added.
Sources from the ministry say that it was not only the DGCA which was concerned about KFA’s safety standards.
The ministry of civil aviation, too, had issued a letter to the director-general last month. That missive dated June 12 said the civil aviation ministry should be kept informed about KFA’s developments. The letter further asked the DGCA to keep a close watch on the airline’s operations to ensure adherence to certification requirements and maintenance of safety.
It had also made it clear to the DGCA that the Aircraft Act empowered only the central government with regard to economic regulation of air transport. It had asked the DGCA to redefine the safety regulation on financial stress.
The Directorate General, it added, had given an impression that it was undertaking financial audit of financial statements of airlines.
Bhushan, an additional secretary in the ministry and also holding charge as the DGCA, had sought an extension of tenure till November 30 this year. It was sought during the tenure of Vayalar Ravi, who quit as the civil aviation minister in late last year. Ajit Singh, who succeeded Ravi on December 18, 2011, was never kept in loop about the extension.
The appointment of Arun Mishra for the post was pending since May 15, and yet Bhushan got an extension order, giving a jolt to the minister, according to a ministry official. For the extension of tenure as DGCA, the minister can give approval only for three months. Any time above that requires the approval from the Appointment Committee of Cabinet.
