90% of Air India flights cancelled; more pilots sacked

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, April 30:  Continuing its crackdown on striking pilots who have refused to return to work, Air India management has sacked more pilots. The total of number of pilots who have been fired has gone up to nine now; six others have been suspended.

 

As the strike by 800 pilots enters its fourth day, 90 per cent of Air India’s flights have been cancelled for the day. With losses amounting to Rs. 26.5 crore so far because of the strike, Air India now stares at the possibility of a partial lockout. The airline’s Chairman Arvind Jadhav met the Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi yesterday to consider options.

The management had said on Friday that pilots who didn’t report to work by 5 pm would be fired. The Delhi High Court also formally initiated contempt of court proceedings against the pilots for ignoring its orders to end their strike. If found guilty on Monday, the pilots could be asked to spend six months in jail. But even warnings of potential jail time could not persuade the striking pilots to return to work.

At the heart of the battle is the issue of how much pilots are paid. "We are more than willing to go to jail. Nearly 31,000 Air India employees will also be ready to court arrest because we are serious about saving the national carrier from ruin," Rishabh Kapur, the General Secretary of Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA). The union was derecognised on Monday by the airline’s management.

The management has said it may invoke the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) in the next few days. The pilots, on the other hand, want a CBI probe into the "massive corruption" in the airline under the leadership of Chairman and Managing Director Arvind Jadhav.

"We are willing to get back to work provided the government assures that they will look into the corruption issue raised by us and order a CBI enquiry," Mr Kapur said.

The management of the airline declared on Thursday that no bookings for domestic flights would be taken till May 3 - an ominous sign as both pilots and the management fail to find common ground. Other airlines are cashing in by hiking their fares - adding a new dimension to passengers’ nightmares.

 

The airline tried to compensate by co-opting flights from its cheaper strain - Air India Express - to take passengers from Kerala to the Gulf on Friday morning. It’s also operating larger planes on main routes like Delhi and Mumbai.

In 2007, the government merged Air India with Indian Airlines, assuming it would lead to a more cost-efficient national carrier. The desired results are nowhere on the horizon, despite 2000 crore rupees being infused into operations.

The pilots on strike were all originally hired by Indian Airlines; they say that four years after the merger, they are still paid significantly less than the pilots who joined them from Air India. Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi is not moved by their plight. He said 1600 pilots make 800 crore rupees. "Many of them are plus two, not even graduates, and they are getting Rs. 3.8 lakh a month... I hope sense will prevail upon these people. Are they starving?’’ he added. 

Executive pilots - who handle administrative jobs - and had been asked by the management to fill in for those on strike have begun calling in sick - a thinly-veiled gesture of support for the ICPA.

Air India pilots’ strike: 95 flights cancelled today, no domestic bookings till May 3

New Delhi, April 29:  With the Air India pilots’ strike continuing for the third day today, 44 flights out of Mumbai and 51 flights out of Delhi have been cancelled so far on Friday morning.

 

Only 12 out of 56 flights will operate out of Mumbai today and 15 out of 66 flights will operate out of Delhi.

Air India will operate special flights to fly out stranded passengers. It will also operate several wide-bodied planes from its international fleet.

As the pilots who’re on strike defied court orders to return to work; the management of the airline said on Thursday it will not surrender to pressure and has said no bookings for domestic flights will be accepted till May 3.

Nearly 700 pilots, who earlier flew for Indian Airlines, began a strike on Tuesday midnight demanding better pay.  Yesterday, in a gesture of support, many of the 150 executive pilots in managerial posts began calling in sick.

The bone of contention is the disparity between what pilots who work for the same airline are paid. In 2007, Indian Airlines was merged with the other national carrier, Air India. The government-arranged marriage has been cataclysmic from the start. The union was meant to help contain losses; instead, thousands of crores of taxpayers’ money have been injected into the airline without a subsequent high.

The 700 pilots who belong to the Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association (ICPA) were all part of Indian Airlines. They say that four years after the merger, they’re still paid less than the pilots who worked for Air India. They want salaries to be equalized, and arrears to be paid.

"There has been no attempt by the management to reach out to us," said their spokesperson on Thursday. A substantial portion of the salary for a pilot from Indian Airlines depends on how many hours he or she flies. With Air India cutting down domestic routes to contain losses, the Indian Commercial Pilots Association says its members are losing out. In comparison, Air India pilots are paid more and fly international routes.

Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi told the cabinet in Delhi on Thursday that he has guaranteed the airline’s management his complete support.

Close to 1600 pilots make about 800 crores, he reportedly pointed out, rebutting the pilots’ demands for higher salaries. 

"Many of them are plus two, not even graduates, and they are getting Rs. 3.8 lakh a month...I hope sense will prevail upon these people. Are they starving?’’ he asked.

Eight pilots have lost their jobs now since the strike began. "Salary of all pilots at Air India should be paid by one single agreement of Air India. They have withheld our arrears of three years; these should be given back to us. We seek forgiveness from the passengers. We are not responsible for this. Our top management is responsible for this who have lost their senses," said Captain V K Bhalla, a sacked pilot.

The Air India management returned to the Delhi High Court on Thursday, asking that pilots on strike be charged with contempt of court for refusing to get back to work - something the court ordered on Wednesday. A lawyer for the pilots argued, "In such a disturbed mental state, how can we operate flights and put the passengers’ lives in danger?" The judge retorted, "If you come down to this level, no court of the country will accept your defence. You have the right to challenge the order, but you have no right to defy it."

For six months last year, the national airline lost Rs. 19 crores everyday. Pilots are quick to point out that despite the bleeding balance sheet, the top management is still entitled to free travel for life - even after retirement.

The pilots met the Union Labour Minister, Mallikarjun Kharge, on Thursday. They’ve asked for more flying hours and for salaries to be paid on time. They also want the airline to stop hiring foreign pilots and use domestic crew instead.

Air India special flights to clear backlog

Air India will operate special flights to fly out stranded passengers in view of the pilots’ strike, which entered its third day today, crippling services across sectors.

Four flights of Air India’s low-cost carrier Air India Express will operate on these sectors:

Bombay - Abu Dhabi - Mumbai
Chennai - Singapore - Chennai
Kochi - Kozhikode - Sharjah - Kochi
Kozhikode - Dubai - Kozhikode

 
The Air India Express special flight from Kozhikode to Dubai will leave at 10 a.m. And another from Kochi to Sharjah via Kozhikode will leave at 10.30 a.m.

Air India will also operate several wide-bodied planes from its international fleet. A Jumbo 747 will operate on the Mumbai - Dubai - Delhi - Mumbai sector.

In the late evening, two wide-bodied 777 will operate on the Delhi - Ahmedabad - Mumbai sector and the Mumbai - Ahmedabad - Delhi sector.

Air India is also operating a Boeing 777 from Mumbai to Delhi and back to carry more passengers in the morning.

More such flights are likely, to give the airline additional seat capacity.