Air India COO Gustav Baldauf's criticism of the sacking of Pawan Arora doesn't go down well; he says he is not quitting AI yet
Air India COO Gustav Baldauf's criticism of the sacking of Pawan Arora doesn't go down well; he says he is not quitting AI yet
The noose is tightening around Air India Chief Operating Officer Gustav Baldauf after his recent remarks questioning the grounds on which the Air India Board sacked Air India Express Chief Operating Officer Pawan Arora on February 11, 2011. S Chandrakumar was appointed in his place the same day. Incidentally, Arora's discharge orders were ready on November 18, 2010.
MiD DAY reported on February 16 that Baldauf was opposed to Arora's removal, saying it would affect the turnaround plan of the ailing national carrier. The Civil Aviation Ministry asked Baldauf to explain the grounds of his criticism.
A ministry official on condition of anonymity told Sunday MiD DAY, "The ministry has taken his remarks very seriously and has asked Baldauf to clarify the grounds on which he made a statement against the government."
Baldauf had also supported Arora in an interview to a newspaper last week.u00a0 "When you call someone from outside, let him work. The government should not be involved in day-to-day operations," he was quoted as saying.
When contacted, Baldauf said his job was not under threat. "I am not quitting Air India. I don't want to make any statement on the current episode."
However, the ministry official had a different version. "He openly supported the appointment of Arora, which the independent directors opposed. His appointment too, was opposed. With his current statement, there are grounds to question him."
Baldauf, who was appointed in April 2010, played a crucial role in the appointment of Pawan Arora as AI Express COO, Stephen Sukumar as CTO and Kamaljit Rattan as CIO last year.
While Arora was sacked on February 11, Sukumar has reportedly submitted his resignation to the Air India board last week. On February 14, MiD DAY had reported that all top appointments of Air India made during the tenure of former civil aviation minister Praful Patel were under scrutiny.
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