Fake pilots: What matters - Qualification or Money?

New Delhi, Mar 15: A shocking revelation surprised many when several "pilots" came under an investigating scanner which claim that they are not at all pilots. Now, Air India officials announced that all Air India pilots will face investigation soon. All documents submitted by them will be probed.

Accepting the tremendous pressure over selecting of pilots, former Air India Executive Director (Communication) Jitendra Bhargava claimed that sometimes money plays a huge role. His statement raised a question - is qualification priceless in front of huge amount of money?

However, Bhargava claimed, "In Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), it's all mechanised. It couldn't have taken place without the connivance of someone within the DGCA. In Air India considering the huge numbers of applications for jobs, there is enormous pressure and I would not hesitate to say that money could not be playing a part."

More than 4,000 pilots have already come under the scrutiny of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) over their alleged fake licences.

Civil Aviation secretary Nasim Zaidi confirmed, "In the wake of the fake pilot scare, licenses of 3,000 to 4,000 pilots are being scrutinised by the DGCA."

The fake documents provided by the pilots came in the limelight when Indigo Airlines pilot Parminder Kaur Gulati was accused of violating landing norms. She was suspended and on Mar 8, she was arrested.

Her arrest soon was followed by the arrest of an Air India's Captain J K Verma over his sham papers of marks cards which were submitted to get pilot licences.

OneIndia News