The Tatas should sack their incompetent CEO, Mr Campbell Wilson, for the spate of problems that Air India is facing, many of which are not legacy issues. As per media reports, Air India has curtailed 38 international flights per week and totally suspended services on three overseas routes. Imagine the plight of passengers inconvenienced by this sudden move, who have bought tickets in advance. The recent Ahmedabad crash and DGCA’s action against senior officials of Air India confirm that the airline was extremely poorly managed, and the buck stops with the CEO. Why, even the condolence statement read out by Wilson was a plagiarised, copy-pasted version of an earlier speech by the American Airlines CEO, Robert Isom. The DGCA has gone so far as to threaten suspension of the airline’s licence to operate if things are not set right. We blame ministers for not owning vicarious liability, and here the airline CEO, who is directly responsible for safe, smooth flight operations and statutory compliances, is not being held to account.
