Don't order special meals for yourself during flights: Air India to its pilots
New Delhi: Air India has instructed its pilots to not order special meals for themselves during the flights as they are required to adhere to a "meal schedule laid down by the company", according to an internal communication of the national carrier.
"It has been brought to the notice of the undersigned that flight crew are ordering special meal/s which are against the said rules," Amitabh Singh, Director Operations, Air India, said in an e-mail to pilots on Wednesday.
"The only crew, who for medical reasons, may order for special meals viz. food recommended by the doctor," he added.
According to a senior airline official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the pilots have been found to be ordering special meals for themselves such as burgers and soups, which ultimately increase the airline's food expenses and disturbs the food management.
"Crew should adhere to the meal schedules laid down by the company and should not authorise meal uplift on their own," Singh wrote in his e-mail.
"In light of the above, all cockpit crew are instructed not to order special meals RPT not to order special meals as and when operating a flight/SOD (Staff on Duty) movement," he added.
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India-bound LPG tanker clears Hormuz
New Delhi (PTI): A tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for India has sailed out of the Strait of Hormuz and is now headed towards the country, an official statement said on Sunday.
The Marshall Islands-flagged LPG carrier MT Sarv Shakti, loaded with 46,313 tonnes of LPG and staffed by 20 crew, including 18 Indians, cleared the key shipping chokepoint on May 2 and is expected to reach Visakhapatnam on May 13, it said.
The cargo -- enough to meet half a days requirement of the country -- will partly tide over supply constraints being faced since the start of the West Asia conflict more than two months back.
Ship-tracking data showed its position in Oman Gulf on Sunday evening.
The very large gas carrier has previously made runs between the Persian Gulf and Indian ports, has been chartered by state-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).
Sarv Shakti is the first India-linked tanker to cross the war zone since a weeks-old US blockade of ships tied to Iran began, pushing transits through Hormuz back down to almost zero.
There are as many as 14 Indian flagged or India-owned vessels still stranded on the west side of the Strait of Hormuz.
The statement said no incident involving Indian-flagged vessels has been reported in the past 24 hours. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is working closely with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian missions and maritime stakeholders to ensure crew welfare and uninterrupted operations.
The Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping) control room has handled 8,373 calls and more than 17,965 emails since activation, including 38 calls and 127 emails in the last 24 hours.
India has also facilitated the repatriation of more than 2,953 seafarers so far, including 31 in the past day from across the Gulf region.
Port operations across the country remain normal with no congestion reported, the statement added.
