Govt sacks more AI pilots, cancels flights
11 May 2012 3:41 AM GMT
The crisis in Air India deepened further on Thursday. While the pilots' agitation continued for the third day, leading to the management cancelling eight more international flights, stop bookings on some major long routes for the next five days and sack nine more pilots. The management also took the pilots to the Supreme Court, pleading that they be ordered to end strike.
The airline took this decision after sacking nine more pilots earlier in the day. 'We have sacked nine more pilots. We are ready for talks, but we will also not tolerate this kind of illegal action which will permanently hurt the airline's image,' the airline official said.
The flag carrier had sacked 26 pilots on Wednesday and 10 pilots on Tuesday. Air India also derecognised their union the Indian Pilots' Guild (IPG).
The flights to and from the national capital to various international destinations, like Chicago, Toronto, Shanghai, Paris and Frankfurt, have been affected. From Mumbai, two international operations to New Jersey and Riyadh have been cancelled. The flag carrier's international low-cost subsidiary Air India Express also cancelled six flights to various destinations from south India to the Middle East.
'We had to cancel eight international flights from Delhi and Mumbai. Rest all international flights are operating as per schedule,' a senior Air India official said in New Delhi. 'We are using reserve pilots who are trained to operate Boeing 777 aircrafts. Passengers are being updated about their flight status,' he added.
The airline also announced that it has closed ticket bookings on ultra long-haul routes till May 15. Closure in ticket bookings will affect around 15 flights to West-bound destinations such as the US, Europe, and some other destinations like Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore. The stir caused four international flight cancellations each on Tuesday and Wednesday.
'Currently we have deployed the [Boeing] 777 aircraft on some of these routes. The pilots who are agitating have had adequate training on these aircraft. And, if the stir continues, we will have no option but to ground these aircraft,' sources in the airline said. The airline has 17 aircraft of the 777 type in the fleet.
Trouble started for the airline when the pilots belonging to the IPG – which is the union of pre-merger Air India pilots – had gone on mass 'sick' leave, protesting the move by the airline to provide Boeing 787 Dreamliner training to pilots from the erstwhile Indian Airlines.
The airline added that it has also filed a contempt of court petition in the Delhi high court against the pilots who were restrained by the court not to go on strike. The airline had moved the Delhi high court on Wednesday, which restrained the pilots from going on strike, termed illegal by the civil aviation minister Ajit Singh.
Air India is estimated to be suffering a loss of Rs 10 crore per day.
The airline took this decision after sacking nine more pilots earlier in the day. 'We have sacked nine more pilots. We are ready for talks, but we will also not tolerate this kind of illegal action which will permanently hurt the airline's image,' the airline official said.
The flag carrier had sacked 26 pilots on Wednesday and 10 pilots on Tuesday. Air India also derecognised their union the Indian Pilots' Guild (IPG).
The flights to and from the national capital to various international destinations, like Chicago, Toronto, Shanghai, Paris and Frankfurt, have been affected. From Mumbai, two international operations to New Jersey and Riyadh have been cancelled. The flag carrier's international low-cost subsidiary Air India Express also cancelled six flights to various destinations from south India to the Middle East.
'We had to cancel eight international flights from Delhi and Mumbai. Rest all international flights are operating as per schedule,' a senior Air India official said in New Delhi. 'We are using reserve pilots who are trained to operate Boeing 777 aircrafts. Passengers are being updated about their flight status,' he added.
The airline also announced that it has closed ticket bookings on ultra long-haul routes till May 15. Closure in ticket bookings will affect around 15 flights to West-bound destinations such as the US, Europe, and some other destinations like Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore. The stir caused four international flight cancellations each on Tuesday and Wednesday.
'Currently we have deployed the [Boeing] 777 aircraft on some of these routes. The pilots who are agitating have had adequate training on these aircraft. And, if the stir continues, we will have no option but to ground these aircraft,' sources in the airline said. The airline has 17 aircraft of the 777 type in the fleet.
Trouble started for the airline when the pilots belonging to the IPG – which is the union of pre-merger Air India pilots – had gone on mass 'sick' leave, protesting the move by the airline to provide Boeing 787 Dreamliner training to pilots from the erstwhile Indian Airlines.
The airline added that it has also filed a contempt of court petition in the Delhi high court against the pilots who were restrained by the court not to go on strike. The airline had moved the Delhi high court on Wednesday, which restrained the pilots from going on strike, termed illegal by the civil aviation minister Ajit Singh.
Air India is estimated to be suffering a loss of Rs 10 crore per day.
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