Newspaper articles in July promised compensation to Air India crash victims, and here it is September, and they’re still arguing about compensation, which is still unpaid.

Perhaps this is partly due to financial circumstances, as independent sources say all Indian airlines are barely keeping afloat, due to competition, low fares and rising wages and fuel expenses,(not to mention corruption, and failed safety efforts) but in the worst shape are Kingfisher Airlines and the state-owned Air India. Liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya who controls Kingfisher, denies rumors of Kingfisher nearing its demise.

In mid-August, the government said it planned to take three months to financially restructure Air India. The turnaround plan is described as a hub-and-spoke route model. Costs will be cut by redeploying staff and unloading real estate.

According to Moody’s any loan to Air India is ‘credit negative’. Air India has incurred heavy losses and has been in the red since its the 2007 merger with Indian Airlines.

In the meantime, who knows when, or how much suffering families will be paid in compensation.

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Air France Crisis Over Mumbai


photographer Sergio Cardona

On March 11, 2013, an Air France Airbus A330 en route from Mumbai to Paris developed an engine problem. The pilot shut down the engine and returned to Mumbai.

There were almost two hundred passengers aboard the flight. None of them reported injury.

Passengers disembarked, and were provided accommodations as an alternative flight was provided.

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AirAsia Plane Diverts due to Medical Emergency

AirAsia ZestAn AirAsia plane made an emergency landing in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, on January 7.

Authorities said the plane, heading from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was diverted due to a medical emergency. It is believed that an elderly woman passenger suffered from severe chest pain mid air.

The plane landed safely. All 286 passengers remained unhurt.

The 71-year-old passenger was rushed to a hospital in Guindy, along with two attendants.

The flight resumed after half an hour.

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Cessna Closing Plants in Ohio

Although one plant opened in Columbus in 2008 and had originally projected work for 5 years, three Cessna plants in Columbus will be closing in 6 to 24 months. Cessna broke the news to the last 315 employees in the Columbus plant.

Any work ongoing will be relegated to plants in Independence, Kan., and Mexico.

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Air India’s Culture of Coercion and Fear

It’s not the Hatfields and the McCoys but it’s a feud going on between Air India and its 1,600 pilots. This is the scenario:

Pinched for money, Air India’s owes cash to pilots, employees, vendors, fuel and ground transportation suppliers; they are cutting rates and (safety) corners.

Air India is supposed to be shaping up, but they ignore rules and regulations meant to reduce pilot fatigue. Unsafe practices include changing schedules so often that some pilots refer to the company’s management style as “schedule by wake-up call.”

The Indian Pilot’s Guild sent the Star Alliance a letter exposing Air India’s culture of “coercion and fear” to compel pilots to fly long hours.

Pilots are complaining about being forced to work long hours while Air India ignores safety regulations. They can’t take off when they’re sick, for fear of being penalized, which is of course another safety violation.

After losing a billion dollars last year, Air India has applied to the Indian government for money. India’s aviation regulatory agency uncovering fraudulent pilot training and corruption in aviation administrative circles. In the face of tightening procedures, Air India will have its back against the wall if they’re going to comply with safety regulations.

Meanwhile, Air India is attempting to join the Star Alliance network of 27 airlines.

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