(a) whether the Air India plane on which the Prime Minister had gone to U.S. kept completely idle in U.S. and another Air India plane kept as stand-by in India;
(b) if so, the freight loss calculated for two planes during the whole period of Prime Minister`s visit to U.S.; and
(c) the comparative figures of running cost, maintenance, profit and loss and accrued loss of Air India as compared to other international airways?
THE MINISTER OF CIVIL AVIATION (SHRI SHARAD YADAV)
(a): Government of India charters plane from Air India for
VVIP flights and the aircraft operates to the programme
decided by the Government of India. There were no plane(s)
kept as standby in India.
(b): There was no freight loss since no scheduled Air India
flights were re-scheduled or cancelled.
(c): Air India undertakes operations of VVIP flights on
no-profit-no-loss basis. In other words, the actual
expenditure incurred by Air India towards VVIP flights is
billed to the Government.