Air India turns keen on on-time flights

CMD says will act on those who fail to act

New Delhi : Sending out a stern message against employees’ lapses, Air India (AI) chief Rajiv Bansal has said the airline will ‘act on those who fail to act’ in ensuring on-time flights. The airline, which operates nearly 400 flights everyday, has been facing flak for delays.

Taking over the reins of the disinvestment-bound national carrier less than two weeks ago, Bansal has initiated steps to cut down costs at various levels along with focus on bettering on-time performance (OTP), increasing passenger yields and improving customer satisfaction.

“We will affirmatively act to improve our performance and we will act on those who don’t act. Air India has some very good time slots, but if the flights don’t operate on time, then the value of the slot is lost,” Bansal said.

The CMD at the airline stressed that whatever action is required will be taken with respect to ground handling, crew, in-flight, engineering checking and food supplies, among other aspects.

“We’re working on that actively to ensure there are no delays. I will act on those who fail to act,” he said, adding that the message has been conveyed to those down the line.

The OTP of Air India's domestic flights from four metro airports stood at 65.5 per cent in July, way lower than many other local carriers, according to official data.

Asserting that there will be zero tolerance for flight delays due to issues of ground handling and technical glitches, he said these are matters internal to the company.

“There are around 400 flights a day and I cannot focus on each of them, but my first priority is to look at the first flights of the day from Delhi and Mumbai. I am trying to push for better OTP round the clock,” he made it clear.

Apart from running the airline profitably and ensuring better OTP, two other key priorities for Bansal are increasing passenger yields and improving customer satisfaction.