Manish Tewari alleges “disaster” in Air India’s management, calls for government takeover

Congress MP Manish Tewari has called for the government to take back Air India from the Tata Group, citing poor management and safety concerns. His comments come after a London-bound flight was delayed and a DGCA audit flagged 51 safety lapses at the airline

New Delhi: Congress MP and former I& B Minister Manish Tewari on Friday said that the government should take Air India back from the Tata Group “as they have run the airline into the ground”.

“The Airline is a complete management mess. There are hardly any competent aviation professionals running Air India. The privatisation has been a disaster,” Tewari wrote on X. “Flights cancelled at the drop of a hat, flights delayed without any explanation whatsoever,” he added.

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“The Pilots and the crew tell me that people who grow Tea in Tata Tea, make steel in Tata Steel, make cars in Tata Motors are running Air India,” the Congress leader said. “People I have known personally over the past 40 years and are sound professionals,” he added in the note, which was tagged the civil aviation regulator, DGCA, as well.

A London-bound Air India flight from Delhi was forced to return to the bay on Thursday after the cockpit crew detected a suspected technical fault before take-off. The flight, call sign AI-2017, was preparing to depart when the pilots halted the departure and brought the aircraft back for checks.

The airline said that all necessary safety procedures were followed and that an alternative aircraft is being arranged to fly the passengers to London as soon as possible. “Our ground staff is extending all support and care to the guests to minimise inconvenience caused due to this unexpected delay. At Air India, the safety and well-being of our passengers remain the top priority,” the airline added.

The incident comes just days after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) flagged 51 safety lapses at Air India during its annual audit. These included outdated training manuals, incomplete pilot training, unqualified simulators, and irregularities in low-visibility operation approvals.

Of these lapses, seven were classified as critical Level I breaches, which the airline was instructed to address by July 30. The remaining 44 non-compliances must be rectified by August 23. The DGCA’s action followed recent enforcement measures, including the grounding of an Air India aircraft found to have an overdue inspection of its emergency slide — a crucial safety feature.

The regulator has also issued three show-cause notices to the airline, giving it 15 days to respond. Earlier, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol told Parliament that the DGCA had immediately grounded the aircraft involved in the overdue slide inspection until the necessary checks were completed.