The Descent of Air India Read Online Free PDF Page B

Bir Singh, had affiliated the AICCA to a political party and that lent them significant clout. Both Mr Katrekar and Mr Murlidhar had joined as cabin crew after serving in the airline’s clerical cadre. Soon after assuming leadership, they made a string of demands on the airline with respect to concessions in work norms, enhanced allowances and a host of other issues. They, however, refused to discuss employee productivity or cooperate in the introduction of new services. It was clear to everyone that their priorities were not aligned with those of the airline.
    Most departmental heads and chairmen wanted to keep the union leaders in good humour and gave in to all their demands. But when the bickering between the management and the union began turning into a regular slugfest, and the department became more a management– union fighting arena than a customer-oriented wing of the airline, the management realised that it was important to find a way to focus on the in-flight issues. A person from the HR department was appointed to head In-flight Services. Even this did not yield the desired result as he spent most of his time settling disputes and appeasing the union. He was never really able to focus on the service and the product. Moreover, given the frequency with which the union was clashing with members of the management, the job of the departmental head began to resemble that of a fire fighter—dousing the flames but never really able to prevent them in the first place. And in the battle between the management and the unions, the airline suffered, as neither of the two objectives of ensuring industrial peace and service enhancement was achieved.
    OLD CHALLENGES IN A NEW ROLE
    In November 1991, Y. C. Deveshwar was appointed the chairman of Air India by the late Madhavrao Scindia, the then minister for civil aviation. Mr Deveshwar came from the diversified tobacco-and-hospitality conglomerate, ITC. He was brought in over the candidature of Subhash Gupte, Director of Finance, who had officiated as the managing director after Mr Jetley’s sudden exit in 1990. Mr Gupte had conducted himself ably during the interim period, but he was sidelined, and he quit Air India after Mr Deveshwar joined the company.
    Mr Deveshwar lacked core airline experience but was conversant with the hospitality business, as ITC ran a successful chain of luxury hotels. He was conscious of passengers’ needs and what was required to be done to stem the rot that had set in. He brought in a host of good management practices that infused new life into Air India. For instance, he instituted the practice of succession planning within the airline. He would track positions and make sure that six months before a position fell vacant, a person was identified and trained to occupy it. He sought to ensure a smooth transfer of functions when an incumbent departmental head was due for retirement and understood that not every one, howsoever competent, could be considered as good for all positions. Aptitude mattered and so did attitude. This was a major departure from the past.
    A few months after he took over, one day, in May 1992, Mr Deveshwar summoned me to his office. He started off the meeting by talking about the impending vacancy in the airline’s In-flight Services Department and the need for an able manager to succeed him. K. A. Sapat, the departmental head, was due to retire in eight months in January 1993. I was frank and said, ‘I don’t think there is anyone within the organisation who can meet the requirement; please get a person from outside.’
    ‘Why?’ asked Mr Deveshwar. I said, ‘In-flight has been Air India’s mainstay for years; even passengers who were severely critical of ground services appreciated the experience on flight. We shouldn’t dilute our strength. And we need someone who is innovative, customer-focused, articulate and can be tough with a hostile union. I don’t think we have anyone within the company at the senior