Ajit wants new pilots to counter strike
7 Jun 2012 12:58 AM GMT
Air India is going to induct about 100 new pilots in the next few months, the civil aviation minister Ajit Singh said on Wednesday while virtually shutting the doors for striking pilots, asking those sacked to apply afresh.
Indicating that the 101 sacked pilots could be replaced by new ones, Singh said 90 pilots were currently undergoing training and would be available for flying in August. 'We're making sure that we have enough resources – pilots and engineers – to operate the new flights we have planned,' he said in reply to a spate of questions on the month-long pilots' agitation spearheaded by the Indian Pilots' Guild (IPG).
The striking pilots questioned the government's plan. 'We have serious doubts about ministry's move [to hire new pilots]. Whom do they want to benefit? At a time when the company is under severe financial crunch, can these new pilots be afforded at a salary which is double of ours?' Captain Anil Kumar Rao, the joint secretary of the IPG, told reporters after pilots staged silent marches in Delhi and Mumbai.
'Such a move by the ministry can jeopardise fight passenger safety. Hiring foreign pilots without study of their track records could lead to compromise with safety issue,' he alleged.
But after facing a loss of over Rs 400 crore due to the strike in the peak holiday season, the government was in no mood to make any placatory moves. On the contrary, a tough-talking Singh said the sacked pilots will have to apply fresh along with new pilots if they intend to get back.
'As far as we are concerned, the pilot's strike is over. If the [striking] pilots don't accept the Dharmadhikari report, which is part of the airline's turnaround plan, I don't think there is any point in their coming back. If the terminated pilots want to come back, they will have to apply afresh,' Singh said at a press conference convened to announce Air India's new global operations plan.
Indicating that the 101 sacked pilots could be replaced by new ones, Singh said 90 pilots were currently undergoing training and would be available for flying in August. 'We're making sure that we have enough resources – pilots and engineers – to operate the new flights we have planned,' he said in reply to a spate of questions on the month-long pilots' agitation spearheaded by the Indian Pilots' Guild (IPG).
The striking pilots questioned the government's plan. 'We have serious doubts about ministry's move [to hire new pilots]. Whom do they want to benefit? At a time when the company is under severe financial crunch, can these new pilots be afforded at a salary which is double of ours?' Captain Anil Kumar Rao, the joint secretary of the IPG, told reporters after pilots staged silent marches in Delhi and Mumbai.
'Such a move by the ministry can jeopardise fight passenger safety. Hiring foreign pilots without study of their track records could lead to compromise with safety issue,' he alleged.
But after facing a loss of over Rs 400 crore due to the strike in the peak holiday season, the government was in no mood to make any placatory moves. On the contrary, a tough-talking Singh said the sacked pilots will have to apply fresh along with new pilots if they intend to get back.
'As far as we are concerned, the pilot's strike is over. If the [striking] pilots don't accept the Dharmadhikari report, which is part of the airline's turnaround plan, I don't think there is any point in their coming back. If the terminated pilots want to come back, they will have to apply afresh,' Singh said at a press conference convened to announce Air India's new global operations plan.
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