AI pilots unfazed by govt threat

With its striking pilots refusing to budge, Air India (AI) has prepared a plan to borrow 40 pilots from Vijay Mallya’s Kingfisher Airlines.

Kingfisher and IndiGo are the two other airlines besides AI which operate short-haul Airbus aircraft. A majority of the AI pilots on strike are from the erstwhile Indian Airlines and fly on domestic and short-haul international routes.

“To minimise the impact of the strike, we have put up a contingency plan that includes taking 20 sets of pilots from Kingfisher Airlines and bringing retired pilots,” said a senior civil aviation ministry official, who did not want to be identified. A Kingfisher spokesperson, however, denied any move to lend pilots to AI.

Disregarding the management’s threat to dismiss more pilots and invoke the Essential Services Maintenance Act (Esma) if they did join work by 5pm on Friday, the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) decided to continue the agitation.

“According to us, invoking Esma is not a possibility. It will be unfair if the government bends before the management. But if it does, 800 pilots are willing to go to jail. We want accountability and we want answers,” said ICPA General Secretary Rishabh Kapur.

The Delhi High Court on Friday initiated contempt proceedings against the pilots for defying its order to resume work.

FARES SHOOT UP
The strike is taking a toll on passengers. On the third day, AI had to cancel 126 of the 320 domestic flights it operates in a day. It said the loss from the strike had been Rs 26.5 crore.

The cancellations have led to a spurt in spot fares. The fares had risen 40 per cent on several routes, said Jay Bhatia, the chairman of the Travel Agents Association of India (West Region).

Even seats on low-cost carriers are going for Rs 10,000 and more on Mumbai-Delhi and Mumbai-Chennai routes. Tickets for some Mumbai-Delhi flights were sold for Rs 16,000 on Friday. Fares on short-haul international flights to Dubai, Singapore and Bangkok have risen marginally.

It is believed the management will wait till Monday for an all-out action against the pilots.

The management has so far terminated the services of nine pilots and suspended six.

“We plan to wait for the appearance of the union leaders in response to the contempt of court notice issued by the Delhi High Court. We might go on an all-out offensive after that,” said a ministry official.

The pilots have got support from the Communist Party of India (Marxist). “Irrespective of the merits of the demands by the pilots, we strongly object to the way the Air India management has derecognised the pilots’ union. Everybody has the right to organise unions. It is a fundamental right,” said General Secretary Prakash Karat.