Passengers were greatly inconvenienced as their problems were compounded by Delhi-based Kingfisher Airlines pilots also refusing to fly over alleged non-payment of outstanding dues.
Air India (AI) pilots paid no heed to a Delhi high court order that called their strike illegal. For the third consecutive day on Thursday, over 300 pilots reported sick, prompting the AI management to sack nine of them (45 in three days) and filing a criminal contempt petition against them in the Supreme Court. The court will hear the matter today.
Passengers were greatly inconvenienced as their problems were compounded by Delhi-based Kingfisher Airlines pilots also refusing to fly over alleged non-payment of outstanding dues. “The management had said it would start paying us January salaries from May 9 onwards. However, it has backtracked on its commitment,” said a source from Kingfisher. Mumbai-based pilots of the airline too threatened to skip work.
AI added to the woes of passengers by stopping ticket bookings on their West-bound flights (to New York, London, Paris and Frankfurt among others) till May 15. The pilots were given a 10am deadline on Thursday to report to work, but with them refusing to budge, more flights are expected to be cancelled. Officials failed to accommodate passengers with valid tickets in other airlines. They could neither provide information on when AI flights would take off on time.
“It is a matter of life and death for the pilots. Their careers are also at stake. The AI management did not honour their commitments. It is not serious about addressing their grievances,” said Jitendra Awhad, president of the Indian Pilots Guild.
Civil aviation minister Ajit Singh said the government was willing to talk to the pilots. “Everything is negotiable, but the pilots must reach out to us first. They must ensure that AI does not lose its credibility,” he said.
The pilots are protesting against the rescheduling of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner training and matters relating to their career progression.
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