AI pilots standoff continues, 6 intl flights cancelled

The standoff between national airline Air India and its pilots staying away from work entered the ninth day today with six flights from Mumbai and Delhi being cancelled.

Attempts by the pilots staying away from work to negotiate with the government has had little success with Minister for Civil Aviation Ajit Singh saying that negotiations would take place only after the pilots returned to work.

The Air India management has reportedly now issued a contingency plan to allow bookings on certain sectors from today till May 20.

Close to 200 pilots have been staying away from work citing illness after a breakdown in talks between the Air India management and a union representing the pilots over the training schedule for the Boeing Dreamliner aircraft.

Several Air India pilots who called in “sick” and failed to report for work were not found at home by doctors sent by the airline and their phones were also unreachable, according to a medical summary prepared by the carrier.

The outstation pilots staying away from work and have been put up at five-star hotels complained of stomach ailments while others reported backache in their medical reports. However, doctors found them medically fit, the summary said.

A grounded fleet, ticket cancellations and unused labour have cost Air India over Rs 150 crore since the pilots went on strike. This comes even as the government was to provide funds as part of a proposed bailout for the cash strapped airline.

Indian Pilots Guild, the union representing the pilots staying away from work, has sought that over 40 pilots who have been dismissed be reinstated and the airline recognise the validity of their organisation.

However, as always it was the passengers who suffered the most thanks to flight schedules being disrupted. View some passenger reactions in the video above.