Pilot takes to YouTube, takes it out on Air India

An Air India (AI) pilot’s music video uploaded on YouTube has left the aviation ministry and the airline management fuming. The video, which is critical of the airline, has also angered AI’s airhostesses with its ‘sexist’ lyrics. Tushar Srivastava reports. Video inside

An Air India (AI) pilot’s music video uploaded on YouTube has left the aviation ministry and the airline management fuming. The video, which is critical of the airline, has also angered AI’s airhostesses with its ‘sexist’ lyrics.

The aviation ministry and AI management have taken strong exception to the video, titled Air India Rap, posted by the pilot who is seen wearing the full uniform and singing a song laced with expletives.

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In it, he is seen urging everyone to wake up and fight. He also blames those at the “top” for the mess he is in.

The video opens with a statement that the content is not meant to hurt anyone’s feelings, but it has angered airhostesses. “How do I fly with women in 60s they call them airhostesses we call them aunties…” goes one of the lines.

The rest of the lyrics go like this: “They don’t even let me leave, they don’t gimme NoC, plz tell them it’s not Air Force… I aint at LoC… I work for Air India and call myself a Maharaja… but Maharaja is getting f***** with all the band baaja… Coz everyone knows pilots of my airline have done a good job, it’s few people at the top who’s f***** us up and robbed (sic).”

A ministry official said this was a misuse of the uniform, which is meant to instill “discipline”. “Would he have dared to do this if he worked for a private airline?”

Meanwhile, an AI official asked, “What does he mean he is not being given a NoC? Dozens of pilots have left AI. Who is stopping him?”

Tushar Srivastava