The tussle between the Air India (AI) management and the Indian Pilots Guild has reached a flash point, with 80 pilots threatening to resign en masse in protest against “discrimination” in promotion and duties. Already, 23 AI Express pilots, on deputation from AI, have reported sick, leading to cancellations of 10 flights in the last two days.
The pilots have sent a letter to AI chairman Rohit Nandan, seeking “no objection” to quit and take up work in other airlines. Already, eight pilots from AI and several more from the erstwhile Indian Airlines have resigned, as the airlines have not paid salaries and allowances for the last four months. The union, with 400 pilots as members, has threatened to go on a strike. It is also planning to file a writ petition against the management. The IPG’s latest salvo is over selection of Indian Airlines pilots for training in Boeing 787 plane, due for delivery in December. AI has 1,600 pilots.
According to sources in AI, the decision to select Indian Airlines pilots for the Boeing 787 training has been taken under political pressure. “The decision has been taken under instructions of the civil aviation ministry,” source said. The management is trying to talk to the IPG, headed by the Nationalist Congress Party legislator Jitendra Awhad, to sort out the issue.
“We have contingency plan in place and we will ensure minimal disruptions on our Gulf flights,” AI Express chief operating officer S Chandrakumar said. Several AI Express flights have been combined. Nandan did not respond to SMS seeking comments.
The pilots complain about career progression, while the IPG alleges the management in collusion with the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (the Indian Airlines pilots union) created an artificial shortage of commanders in AI. “Command training of 70 AI pilots in Boeing 737 (AI Express) was stalled for the past two years. This was done to deliberately create a shortage of commanders in AI, thereby facilitating the induction of Indian Airlines pilots to fly Boeing 787,” the IPG said in a letter signed by 80 pilots.
The IPG letter stated 120 pilots (50 captains and 70 first officers), transferred to AI Express From AI, are stuck for the last five years and there is no plan to bring them back to the parent company. “This has further created a shortage of pilots in AI and is being used to justify the induction of pilots from erstwhile Indian Airlines to fly Boeing 787.”
