Air India diverted a scheduled Delhi-Mumbai flight to Jaipur to pick up 35 players and other members of the Mumbai Indians team of IPL on April 12, a spokesman of the airlines said on Friday.
The report of the diversion of the scheduled flight came in the backdrop of the controversy over the national carrier pulling out an aircraft of its scheduled flight and converting into a charter to ferry IPL players from Chandigarh to Chennai on April 20.
The flight IC-887, scheduled on the Delhi-Mumbai- Aurangabad sector, was diverted on April 12 to Jaipur to pick up the Mumbai Indian team which was to travel to the western metropolis, the spokesperson said adding there was no violation of rules as the concerned authorities were informed in advance.
"All the team members were holding tickets and we are the official carrier" for the tournament, he said, adding Air India's Regional Directors of the four regions were all empowered to take any such decision which they have to justify later. "They have total autonomy in this regard. We have adhered to all rules and procedures", he said.
Air India CMD Arvind Jadhav told PTI in Mumbai that "all diversions have taken place with the prior approval of the relevant authorities".
The spokesman said the decisison to divert the flights was taken as early as on March 15 and not overnight. PTI
