‘Poor’ Air India made 10 pilots super rich in 6 months

New Delhi: Debt-ridden Air India (AI), which is seeking a bailout package
from the Union government, paid
significant amounts to pilots who
hardly flew.
DNA has in its possession confidential
internal audit documents of the national carrier which reveal that 10
pilots of sister concern Alliance Air
were paid on an average Rs88,000
per flying hour for six months
beginning January 2010 — total Rs2.87 crore.
The office of R Dayal, executive
director (internal audit), examined the
payment.
A pilot has to fly a minimum of 80
hours per month, but these 10 hardly flew. Taking advantage of a dubious
contract, some of them flew two hours
in six months, some 11, while others
flew 12 hours.
The contract extraordinarily hikes the
allowance per hour from Rs4,750 to Rs9,150
without valid giving any reason.
Besides, it fixes an amount of Rs2,200
per night stop.
The most glaring example is that of
Captain Satbir Singh who flew only two hours in six months but was paid
in excess of Rs20 lakh, making him
perhaps the costliest pilot in India with
an average asking rate of Rs10 lakh
per hour.
The audit notes that the 80-hours-per- month limit in itself is way beyond the
average flying hours clocked by Air
India pilots.