As per sources, it will take time for them to join back to work as it is the subject to clearance from the director general of civil aviation (DGCA). The airline also started accepting new bookings with low fares.
While the Air India (AI) pilot strike ended on Friday, passengers still need to wait for two to three days till the airlines operations normalises. According to AI sources, out of 810 pilots, nearly 200 had reported sick and licenses of some have been expired.
It will take time for them to join back to work as it is the subject to clearance from the director general of civil aviation (DGCA). The airline also started accepting new bookings with low fares.
National carrier AI which suffered a loss of over Rs150 crores due to the 10-day strike by pilots limped back to normalcy on May 7. However, according to sources the airline will take more than two days to become fully operational. “Out of the 810 striking pilots over 200 had reported sick while the validity of licenses of most of them expired during the period of strike,” said an official from the Indian Commercial Pilot Association (ICPA).
Those who had reported sick can resume flying immediately. “But those whose licenses have been expired will have to undergo medical tests at the medical centres approved by the DGCA. The license validity period for airline transport pilot license (ATPL) is two years and to revive it they have to undergo a medical test which declares them fit or unfit and their report is sent to the DGCA for renewal. The medical test is valid for six months for those who are above 40 years of age while it is one year for those up to 40.
When contacted the spokesperson for AI said that even if the pilots undergo all the checks including medical tests and are on the ground they have a reserve of pilots which will not affect flight operations.
In the meanwhile AI also opened fresh bookings for passengers which it had kept on hold from April 28 as the strike paralysed its network. “The ticket prices are the lowest compared to other airlines. For instance, a Mumbai-Jaipur ticket for May 9 was available for as low as Rs5000 on AI while other airlines are charging Rs11,000 to Rs12000,” said Rajesh Rateria, owner, Cirrus Travel. Even a ticket on Mumbai-Bangalore AI 609 flight that leaves on May 10 was available for Rs5,438 and that on Mumbai-Goa AI 661 it was available for Rs3353.
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