Aviation Ministry asks Air India chairman Arvind Jadhav to return from UK hours within landing

NEW DELHI: Livid over Air India chairman Arvind Jadhav flying to London at a time when the government was facing uncomfortable questions in Parliament about the national carrier, the aviation ministry asked him to return home within hours of landing in the British capital.

Jadhav flew back on the same aircraft on Tuesday night (UK time) and reached here on Wednesday morning - less than 24 hours after he had taken off from IGI Airport. He had left for London to meet insurers and some lenders in Germany.

The day saw unprecedented activity in Delhi with Left and Trinamool MPs meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to raise the issue of AI employees working without salaries. The PM spoke to aviation minister Vayalar Ravi, who said attempts were being made to release some money by Friday.

With the spotlight firmly on AI in the highest quarters, the ministry decided that this was not the time for Jadhav to be away from the national capital.

"An AI team is already in London for meeting insurance companies and lenders. A senior official could have gone to London," a source said, questioning Jadhav's trip at this juncture. The airline chose not to comment on the matter.

While the mismanagement in Air India will come under focus when the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) is tabled in Parliament, the issue of the airline's employees going without pay has had MPs, cutting across party lines, asking hard questions of the government.