In a Feud Between Management And Director, Two More Executives ‘Go’ From GoAir; Seven Exits In Last Three Months

GoAir, the Wadia Group airline has had two more executives resigning, a director and deputy director of flight training, on Thursday, Financial Express has reported.

The cause of resignations is reportedly due to the differences between Nandkumar Ramaswami, the director of flight operations training, and the management over the number of pilots per aircraft. Keeping flight duty time limitation (FDTL) regulation in mind, Ramaswami proposed that seven pilots per aircraft to run operations safely and smoothly. The management, however, proposed 4.5 per aircraft, the industry average.

An independent agency also suggested that GoAir with its current aircraft rotation patterns needs 6.5-7 pilots per aircraft.

After director, the resignation of the deputy general manager, Kirti Veluri, soon followed. Both executives' departure had come within three months of joining the airline.

A GoAir spokesperson, however, said that according to GoAir standards of performance, the two executives were found lacking in some parameters and were asked to relieve their duties. He also said that attrition was a worldwide phenomenon based on personal and professional reasons.

“GoAir has a very inefficient operating pattern due to which crew numbers needed at the airline are high. The airline put a freeze on training pilots and also on trainers last year and is now facing a crunch. It basically indicates poor planning,” a source close to the development said.

In the past three months, seven executives have let GoAir, including its Chief Operating Officer, Jyri Strandman, an expatriate who left the airline in October without even servicing his notice period.