Bribe your way to the top

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Turbulence Indigo claims it has no means to verify the authenticity of pilot licences, Photo: AFP
Turbulence Indigo claims it has no means to verify the authenticity of pilot licences, Photo: AFP

In 2011, a big hue and cry was raised when news got out that many candidates had used forged documents to acquire commercial pilot licences. Apparently stung by the report, the civil aviation launched a probe and suspended many licences. However, it has come to light that some of those involved in the fake licence scam are very much in business.

Believe it or not. A pilot arrested in 2011 by the crime branch of the Delhi Police for acting as a middleman in providing fake airline transport pilot licences (APTL) to other pilots was recruited by Air India Express in 2013 and is currently flying.

This is by no means an isolated case. Another pilot who allegedly obtained a fake licence with the help of her father, who was the then director of air safety in the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and was suspended by SpiceJet after her fraud was caught, is now working for Air India Express (she is currently serving her notice period before joining IndiGo).

Both top carriers and the DGCA seem to be a hub for people who are involved in high-end corruption. Yet, instead of being punished, they seem to be thriving in their jobs. While these privileged people enjoy their high-flying lives, there are many aspiring pilots who, despite having proved their mettle in flying, are unable to get a job as they lack money and influence.

This is the story about corruption in the aviation sector, right from flight training to securing a job in the airline industry.

Smartly clad in black and white, pilots continue to turn heads and receive envious glances in every airport of the world. But behind the facade is an ugly truth. Many of the pilots allegedly earned their wings by forging documents and paying bribes.

Some captains face criminal cases, while others were found to be too incompetent to fly. But in spite of all such hurdles, they are still flying. Although India has produced many excellent aviators, the fact cannot be denied that a sizeable number of pilots are involved in malpractices with the help of the airlines and the DGCA . Welcome to the world of Indian aviation, where everything is possible if you have the money or clout.

In January 2011, technicians found a snag in the nose gear of an IndiGo aircraft. It was later discovered that one of the pilots, Capt Parminder Kaur Gulati, was in the habit of landing the plane by touching down on the nose gear instead of the main gear.

When an inquiry was launched, it was revealed that Gulati had obtained her APTL by using forged documents as she couldn’t clear her exams even after attempting them on seven occasions. After this, a whole scam broke out, which revealed the nexus between pilots, middlemen and DGCA officials. More than 20 people were arrested by the crime branch of the Delhi Police.

According to the information available with Tehelka, Air India Express hired one of the pilots involved in the scam — Capt Deepak Asatkar, who is currently flying as a first officer based out of Kochi. Asatkar used to help pilots in acquiring fake licences with the help of Capt Pradeep Tyagi.

After the scam came to light, Asatkar went absconding for six months and was arrested by the Delhi Police crime branch on 2 September 2011.

As per police documents, Asatkar, a native of Madhya Pradesh residing in Mumbai, enrolled himself with the DGCA. By 2007, he had cleared all three (air navigation, aviation meteorology and air regulation) DGCA examinations required to obtain a commercial pilot licence (CPL) and joined Orlando Flying School in the US to complete his required 250 hours of flight training.

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