Air India flyer strips on Dubai-Lucknow flight to protest against Pakistani boss

In a shocking incident, a man reportedly stripped during Air India’s international flight form Dubai to Lucknow. According to a Times of India report, the man was unhappy with his employer in Dubai. To protest against his Pakistani boss, the man stripped mid-air and walked down the aisle. The reported quoted an official saying that the flyer thought that the flight was going to land in Pakistan. The 35-year-old was detained by the CISF for further questioning in Lucknow. The embattled national carrier facing acute financial crisis has had its fair share of strange flyers.

Earlier this year, an intoxicated man allegedly urinated on the seat of a woman passenger onboard an Air India international flight, prompting the Civil Aviation Ministry to seek a report from the national carrier. The incident took place on August 30 when Air India flight AI 102 was on its way to New Delhi from New York.

Meanwhile, cash-strapped national carrier has been ordered by the Central Information Commission to disclose its assets abroad and earnings from them. It “summarily” rejected the contention of Air India that the information sought by activist Aseem Takyar regarding rent, lease fee fetched by it from April 01, 2008 with regard to its properties abroad; demarcation plan and a total area of these properties, arrears attracts exemption of commercial confidence under the RTI Act.“Commission summarily rejects the application of Section 8(1)(d) of the RTI Act in the matter as CPIO has failed to provide any tenable justification for the same,” Information Commissioner Divya Prakash Sinha said.

Section 8(1)(d) exempts from disclosure the information which is of commercial confidence, trade secrets or intellectual property, the disclosure of which would harm the competitive position of a third party unless the competent authority is satisfied that larger public interest warrants the disclosure of such information.

The government plans to rope in professionals for top positions at Air India through a global search process, as part of efforts to revive the national carrier, according to Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu.

With the proposed strategic stake sale of the Air India failing to take off in May this year, the government has been working on various initiatives, including hiving off a significant chunk of over Rs. 55,000 crore debt into a special purpose vehicle, to turn-around the ailing airline.

Against this backdrop, the government is now actively considering the proposal to professionalise Air India management.

Talking about steps for reviving the national airline, Mr Prabhu said there are plans for complete professionalisation.

"I have already ordered a global search for professionalisaton of Air India completely. All top positions in Air India should be filled by some sort of a global search. That proposal is now under active consideration of the government," the minister told PTI in an interview.

(With PTI inputs)