Air India’s Chief Operating Officer Gustav Baldauf has resigned yesterday, after the state-run airline gave him a showcause notice for having complained in an interview to The Indian Express that a very prominent part was played by the government in the airline and that it must rather permit him to do his job so as to revive the ill carrier.

According to Air India, its management had accepted the resignation by Baldauf. Meanwhile, according to sources, the resignation of the Chief Training Officer, Stephan Sukumar, a key yet controversial hire of Baldauf, is going to be accepted in the near future.

When asked for commenting, Baldauf told that he had resigned because of obvious reasons that were evident from the interview he gave to ‘The Indian Express’.

Last week, the newspaper was told by Baldauf that the government’s interference was not at all easy to handle. He had said that when someone is called from outside, he should be allowed to work. He added that the Indian environment was definitely a difficult one, and that the government, which is the main stakeholder, plays too prominent a role in the functioning.