Over 100 pilots under the aegis of Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) have threatened to quit the airline.
This may well hurt Air India's international operations in the coming days.
Over 100 pilots under the aegis of Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) have threatened to quit the airline, charging the management with adopting discriminatory attitude against them and stalling their career progression. In a letter to Air India CMD Rohit Nandan, these pilots have said they are compelled to seek a no-objection certificate from the airline so that they could seek employment elsewhere.
The threat of mass resignation of these pilots comes amid reports that the airline was planning to launch a training programme for pilots to fly the Boeing 787 Dreamliners, the first of which is expected to join the airline by December.
The IPG represents around 200 pilots of the pre-merger Air India, while the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) that had gone on strike in April-May this year represents around 1,400 pilots of Indian Airlines.
The pilots have marked copies of their letter to Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi and other officials, besides the Regional Labour Commissioner of Mumbai.
A total of 101 pilots signed the letter claiming they felt "cheated by the management's unfair and discriminatory decisions, leading to a complete stalling of our career progression. These decisions and actions provide a windfall gain to the pilots of erstwhile Indian Airlines at the expense of the career progression prospects of the pilots of erstwhile Air India," the letter said.
The letter said that pilots of erstwhile IA, who possess only four years of experience, are being promoted to Commander on a continuing basis. At the same time close to 80 pilots from erstwhile Air India, who have on an average eight years of service, have been stuck in Command Training for the last two years.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}