Sacked pilots must re-apply, says tough talking Ajit Singh

As the Air India pilot strike entered its 30th day today, Civil aviation minister Ajit Singh announced a contingency plan for the airline, under which the national carrier will hire more pilots for its international and domestic operations, in order to make up for the shortage created by the sacked and striking pilots of the Indian Pilots Guild.

The Air India management is planning to hire around 90 more pilots in the next six months, and also start new routes to Hong Kong, Seoul and Osaka in August. The minister added that systematic operations had already begun under the AI turnaround plan, adding thatthe first phase of crew management has been already implemented and the second phase will be implemented by July this year.

While presenting the new business plan, Singh asserted that the Indian Pilot Guild has been derecognised by the government and and a Mumbai High Court bench has dismissed a petition challenging that decision. He added that the terminated pilots can rejoin Air India but they will have to re-apply and that too without any ‘pre-conditions.’

The minister also said the fact that the striking pilots were rejecting the Dharmadhikari report meant that they have decided not to come back. “If they reject that, there is no point in their coming back,” he said. The Dharmadhikari Committee had submitted the turn around plan to the ministry on 31 January.

It made important recommendations on issues that have been at the centre of the strike called by the Air India pilots such as principles of integration across various cadres, seniority and principles of pay rationalisation of the two erstwhile state-run airlines. “Our stand from day one has been, that it has been declared illegal by the high court, they haven’t even followed union rules of giving notice of strike. I have said in Parliament their will be no victimisation, but they are not willing,” he said.

The striking pilots are protesting the management’s decision to let erstwhile Indian Airlines’ pilots train on advanced Boeing 787 dreamliner aircraft, and are seeking new pay and career progression norms. Even as the pilots remained defiant, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh reiterated his stand saying the pilots’ strike was illegal. He also warned the pilots saying Air India was planning to fire more pilots as well as hire new pilots and nearly 60 trainee pilots will start flying in three to four months.

Ajit Singh also ruled out privatisation of the national carrier. “There is no consideration to privatise the national carrier at all,” he said.

The minister also said Air India is expected to take delivery of three Dreamliner aircraft from Boeing this month, after the two companies agreed on a compensation package for the delayed order. The loss-making state-owned carrier was supposed to receive the first of 27 Dreamliners by the end of May. The compensation package is now awaiting approval from a group of ministers. Singh said last month that no Dreamliners would be delivered before the two parties agreed on a compensation package for the delay.

With regards to FDI in aviation, Singh said talks are on with UPA allies.

Meanwhile, the Indian Pilots Guild pilots held a rally in Mumbai and a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi today. Air India had earlier written a letter to the IPG and sought their support to the airline as an organisation and return to work.