The strike by pilots of Air India has entered a third day on Thursday with the carrier cancelling six international flights as of this morning, reports said. The airline also cancelled 20 flights from Mumbai and Delhi on Thursday.
Around 200 Air India pilots owing allegiance to Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) had reported sick on Tuesday. Air India’s pilots are protesting against the rescheduling of Boeing 787 Dreamliner training and matters relating to their career progression.
Pilots have continued their agitation despite the the Delhi High Court declaring their stir as illegal.
Taking a firm stand on the protests, the management of Air India, on Wednesday, terminated the employment of 26 more pilots taking the total number of sacked pilots to 36.
Civil Aviation Minister, Ajit Singh, told the pilots on Wednesday, “if you have grievances, we can talk, but discussions and disruptions cannot take place simultaneously. They should withdraw their strike and apologise to the passengers.”
He said the government has “a back-up plan (to deal with strike)...We can downsize...If employees are not interested that Air India should expand, then government is not going to provide money to it.”