High Court restrains IPG pilots from continuing strike

As the agitation by pilots owing allegiance to the Indian Pilots Guild entered the second day, harried passengers complained of flight delays by several hours. Four international flights, two each from Delhi and Mumbai, were cancelled, an AI spokesperson said.

All other international flights are operating as a contingency plan has been put in place with the available pilots, the official said.

The pilots, under the banner of Indian Pilots Guild (IPG), are agitating over the rescheduling of Boeing 787 Dreamliner training and matters relating to their career progression.

Justice Reva Khetrapal of the Delhi High Court issued notice to IPG and asked it to reply to a plea of Air India management seeking court's intervention and also a restraint order against the striking pilots.

"The defendant no 1 (IPG), its members, agents and its office bearers are restrained from illegal strike. The pilots are also restrained from reporting sick, holding dharnas, staging demonstrations or resorting to any other modes of strike in and outside the company's offices in Delhi and other regional offices," Justice Khetrapal said in her order.

The judge also said allowing such strike to continue will cause irreparable loss to the company as well as huge inconvenience to the passengers travelling by the national carrier.

The airline managment terminated the services of 10 more pilots for refusing to join work, taking the total number of sacked pilots to 20, airline sources told PTI in Mumbai.

On its part, Government said it was ready to talk to the protesting pilots after they resumed duty.

"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," Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh told reporters in Delhi.(MORE)