Government owes Rs4.51b to Air India for VVIP travel, special missions

NEW DELHI: The Indian government owes over Rs4.51 billion to cash-strapped domestic airline Air India for operating chartered flights for VVIPs including president, vice president and prime minister, besides flying special missions, data provided under Right To Information Act (RTI) said.

The information provided to RTI activist commodore (retd) Lokesh Batra shows senior officials of the civil aviation ministry besides Union Aviation Minister Ashok Gajpathi Raju wrote to the authorities concerned at different times requesting them for clearing the dues of the flag carrier.

The records show 31 letters were written by senior officials of the ministry between 2014 and 2017. The officials asked ministries concerned to ensure availability of maintenance funds, and making necessary budgetary changes for VVIP flights and other special missions undertaken by Air India but outstanding dues were never cleared fully.

Air India keeps three Boieng 747-400 aircraft aside for operating chartered services for the president, vice president and the prime minister during their visits abroad. It also undertakes special evacuation missions.

According to the data, Rs277 million was pending towards the visits of the president, Rs3.51 billiom for vice president, and Rs450.97 million with regard to the prime minister. Besides, Rs146.6 million was due towards services provided to foreign dignitaries and Rs115.9 million for evacuation operations. The bills for the president, vice president, evacuation and foreign diginitaries are pending with the external affairs ministry, while those relating to the travel of prime minister are with the home ministry.

The bills for evacuation of Indian citizens from Iraq, Egypt and Malta in troubled times, besides relief sent to the U.S. during hurricane Katrina in 2005 have yet to be cleared by the MEA, the reply shows.

The government had claimed Air India had posted an operating profit of Rs1.05 billion in FY 2015-16, but the Comptroller and Auditor General disputed the figure, insisting it incurred a loss of Rs3.21 billion. This year, joint secretary in the civil aviation ministry Satyendra Mishra wrote to the home ministry seeking payment of Rs450.97 million on account of dues for the flights of the prime minister.