00:00Welcome back and the Aviation Mantri Ramohan Naidu has spoken exclusively to India today. Listen in.
00:23See this is the time when you come to the end of the year you have Dashara, Dipavali, Chhat Pooja and also the Christmas
00:29and it kind of starts the winter schedule also and during this winter schedule we have seen it's a season where there is a lot of travel happening
00:37and the demand on the travel also increases which also kind of spikes the airfares and this time we have taken a very strong approach to monitor the airfares
00:45and we have mandated the DGCA to look thoroughly to speak with the airlines and we also have institutionalized meetings with the airlines
00:52where every month we are meeting with the airlines and trying to see the pattern of the airfares also.
00:56So one thing I can tell from the ministry is that we are ensuring that to keep the fares at a reasonable price
01:04whatever efforts need to be done from the ministry we are actively looking into it.
01:07What about the uncommanded RAG deployment on AI 117 which happened between Amritsar and Birmingham flight while it was in midway of its descent in Birmingham?
01:17Yes, we got to know about it and the DGCA immediately responded and tried to find out the root cause of the incident.
01:24They have already gotten on to the job and once we get to know more details we are going to reach out to the necessary stakeholders to further see what are the necessary things that we need to do so that these things doesn't happen.
01:35Final question sir, we have seen Captain Sabarwal's father writing to the ministry as well as the DGCA
01:42accusing that AIB officials who came to his house were actually trying to put the blame on his mental state.
01:49P Sabarwal in his letter to you, to the Secretary Muka has said this, ALPA India also raised concerns about that text from the CVR being put out out of context leading to speculations.
02:01What's your response on these concerns?
02:03As far as the AIB is concerned, it is a mandated authority to look into the aircraft accidents and investigation body and it has got a clear mandate according to the rules that we have done.
02:15And they keep a very thorough approach, very transparent and very independent approach not influenced by anyone but just considering the facts which have happened in the incident.
02:26So, it will be too early to comment on the initial preliminary report also because that's not the final report.
02:33And what AIB has done is to place the facts through the report, whatever is known.
02:39To find a consensus or to find something what exactly has happened, we have to wait till the final report.
02:45Is your assurance to Captain Sabarwal's father?
02:47See, there is no manipulation or there is no dirty business happening in the investigation.
02:55It is a very clean and very thorough process that we are doing according to the rules that we have been set up.
03:02So, we are going to ensure that that commitment is maintained.
03:06We are speaking to India today with video journalist Ankit Singh. This is Amit Bharadwaj reporting for India Today from Delhi.
03:15So, you just heard an exclusive interview that Amit Bharadwaj has done with the Aviation Minister where he clearly says that the body which is currently investigating the Air India crash of 171 is right now putting out a report only purely based on facts.
03:35The AAIB or the aircraft accident investigation bureau is putting out a report only based on facts but it is the father of the Air India flight, the pilot who had claimed that this is defaming his son.
03:52And joining us now is Amit Bharadwaj who spoke to the Aviation Mantri.
03:57Amit, do tell us what were the main points that the minister communicated to you?
04:02Well, Anjali, you know, in the past two weeks we have seen as to how certain allegations were made out by Captain Sabarwal's bereaving father P Sabarwal in its letter to the ministers Ramohan Naidu as well as Secretary Moka.
04:20And he had very particularly spoken about as to how certain AAIB officials came to his residence and spoke about mental health of Captain Sabarwal and it was an insinuation of sorts being made to pin down the blame on Captain Sabarwal for the tragic disastrous air crash in Ahmedabad in June this year.
04:42And this is the first time Civil Aviation Ministry and Civil Aviation Minister has spoken or responded on these allegations.
04:51When I asked direct questions from Ramohan Naidu speaking exclusively to India today, Ramohan Naidu said that, you know, it is the AIB's mandate to investigate the matter with all fairness and to go into every aspect and details that is required in the probe of AI 171 crash.
05:10But having said that, you know, when I asked him, what is your assurance to P Sabarwal, the bereaving father of Captain Sabarwal, who has been approaching different institutions to raise his concerns, Ramohan Naidu told me that, you know, he's assuring that all justice and fairness will be carried out in this particular probe that's being done by the AIB and it will be done professionally.
05:36So that's the first word coming from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, first time that the Ministry has, and the Minister rather, has responded to the serious concerns that were raised not only by P Sabarwal, but also by FIP, that is the Federation of Indian Pilots.
05:51And, you know, the concerns that were raised by ALPA India in its meeting with the AAIB, that is the Aircraft Accident Investigations Bureau, last week.
06:01So in that particular meeting, ALPA India had also questioned as to how certain portion of the CVR recording, that was the conversation between Captain Sabarwal and pilot Clive Kundar in AI 171 in regards to fuel control switches.
06:16That particular sentence was put out in the report, in the prelim report, which led to enormous amount of speculation, not only by the expert, but particularly by the international media.
06:28So this is the first time speaking to India today, Civil Aviation Minister Ramohan Naidu saying that it is the AIB's mandate to continue the probe,
06:37and is also assuring that fairness will be, professionalism will be carried out in this particular probe of AI 171 crash.
06:47Back to you, Anjali.
06:48Absolutely. Thank you very much, Amit, for all those details, the conversation that you had with the Minister.
06:53He was telling us about how the investigation is proceeding.
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