IAS on the flight path

It8217;s the IAS versus the Airports Authority of India and the babus are determined not to lose out, as they did five years ago. The matter is the interview for the chairman8217;s post in the AAI, expected to take place over the next couple of weeks. Of the dozen candidates shortlisted for the job, three are IAS babus. And of them, one is a high-profile Kerala-cadre IAS officer who made quite an impression during his not-so-long-ago stint in the Tourism Ministry. In fact, his continued influence in the ministry even after he was transferred has been a sore point. With his credentials and political clout, no one is giving AAI insiders a chance. It would be safe to assume that from an all non-IAS affair, the AAI may have to brace for more than one babu on its board. Already, the job of one of the members has gone to an IRS officer.