Rediff On The NeT: Empty flying of elite squadron costs IAF Rs 930 mn


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June 11, 1998

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Empty flying of elite squadron costs exchequer Rs 930 million

Empty flying by aircraft of the elite 'VIP squadron' of the Indian Air Force cost the exchequer Rs 930 million between 1992 and 1997.

An analysis of flight records for the period conducted by the Comptroller and Auditor General shows that empty flying of Boeings and Avros of the 'VIP squadron' constituted 31.40 and 33.47 per cent respectively of the special flight hours involving total normative cost of Rs 547.2 million.

Empty flying of MI-8 helicopters for positioning and returning back to base was as high as 82.43 per cent of the total flying for VVIPs and other entitled personages -- OEPs -- flights involving an expenditure of Rs 388 million.

The CAG discovered that much of empty flying by helicopters was due to the practice of flying them to another destination from New Delhi, which the OEPs used to visit by special Boeing or Avro flights.

A test check also revealed that both Boeing and Avro aircraft of the 'VIP squadron' were brought back empty to New Delhi from places as far as Bangalore, Bombay, Coimbatore, Guwahati, Indore, Lucknow, Nagpur, Port Blair, Pune, Varanasi, Visakhapatnam, and were positioned to bring back the same entitled personages the following day or later.

This was in gross violation of government orders that unnecessary flights by aircraft returning empty from destinations and going back to collect the same passenger ought to be avoided as far as possible.

The defence ministry maintains this fleet in the air force communications squadron at New Delhi to provide air transport within the country to VIPs. It operates three Boeing 737s, seven Avro aircraft and six MI-8 helicopters.

The orders regulating the use of special VIP flights stipulate that other than the President, vice-president, the prime minister and the heads of foreign governments, who are categorised as 'VVIP', other entitled personages can also avail of the facility of special flights. But OEPs are expected to use commercial air services on official duty, whenever possible.

The OEPs are the defence minister, the home minister, the cabinet secretary, other ministers of the central government, the minister of state for defence, the three service chiefs, the defence secretary and senior service and civilian officers connected with defence organisations.

The 'VIP squadron' is under the functional and administrative control of headquarters of the Western air command. Requests for airlifts for entitled personages are made direct to the air headquarters and/or to the ministry of defence. The squadron arranges the flights on receipt of approval from air headquarters.

The use of special aircraft by VIPs is gradually snowballing into a controversy following the revelation through a written reply in Parliament last week that former defence minister Mulayam Singh Yadav logged more than 1,449 hours during his tenure in office as part of the United Front government. Yadav's 307 trips using various types of aircraft may have cost more than Rs 230 million to the exchequer.

The other highlights of the analysis of flight records of the 'VIP squadron' are:

The strength and utilisation of the fleet of the 'VIP squadron', which in turn involves considerable capital and recurring expenditure, is not properly controlled. The limited hours used by the VVIPs, and failure to establish urgent need for special flights by OEPs give an impression of excess use.

The VVIPs, for whom the 'VIP squadron' is maintained, actually used only 23.5 per cent of the total hours logged by the special Boeing and Avro flights. On an average, the VVIP use of the aircraft was about 20 hours per aircraft per month only, out of which about 15 hours per aircraft was for Boeing 737s.

OEPs were to use special flights as an exception rather than as a rule. They were to use commercial flights whenever possible. But the OEPs used special flights for 6,614 hours during the five years, 1992-97, out of which 2,361 hours were of Boeing 737s.

The system of requisition and approval did not permit for checking why OEPs could not use commercial flights before asking for special flights. The system also does not permit the ministry or air headquarters checking compliance with government orders that seek the use of commercial flights as far as possible.

The other highlights are:

Not only was the urgency for the OEPs's use of special flights not established, the pattern of usage low concern for the expenditure since Boeings and Avros were often used for destinations well connected by commercial flights and for less than five persons in each trip.

The low concern for economy was also evident in the empty flying, for aircraft came back empty to Delhi and went back the next day or later to far off places to bring back the same OEPs.

The review also underscores unauthorised and arbitrary diversion of aircraft from other squadrons to this squadron without the ministry's approval.

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