Air India pilots ‘sick’, flights hit

NEW DELHI — Upset over non-payment of salaries, about 40 Air India pilots reported “sick” yesterday, leading to numerous cancellations of flights and leaving thousands of passengers stranded.

The government pleaded with the pilots to return to work, saying it was studying their demand.

Twenty-eight flight cancellations were reported in Delhi alone and three in Mumbai, the country’s two busiest airports.

The cancellations in Delhi began right at dawn and continues well over noon, an Air India official said. “Nearly 40 pilots have called in sick,” he added. Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh urged the employees to join back and promised to discuss their problems with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Petroleum Minister S Jaipal Reddy on Tuesday.

The talks will be aimed at improving the carrier’s financial status, which has left pilots without salaries for two months. Most components of the pay have not been paid for over four months.

“We are looking into the problem. The pilots did not give any notice... We know the pilots have problems and their salaries have not been paid and are under financial stress,” the minister said here.

He added that the airline management was talking to pilot unions. Passengers stranded at the airports — particularly in Delhi — were furious.

“My Kolkata-bound flight at 9 was cancelled. I reached the airport a little after 7 but I was not informed that my flight has been cancelled,” complained Arun Gupta.

One estimate put the number of stranded passengers at around 4,000. An informed source in the airline said: “It is not new but very well known that pilots and other staffs have not been paid their salaries for November and December last year as well as performance-linked incentives for September, October, November and December.” Such is the sorry state of affairs. Performance-linked incentives, which constitute 20-60 per cent of the total pay package, too have not been paid for four months. The airline official also said the mandatory notice by the pilots for going on sick leave was not served on the carrier.

“We are in talks with some pilot leaders in Delhi. We are taking all possible steps to help passengers like providing them flight information, getting them transferred to other airlines and providing them refunds,” the official said.

The Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), which mainly comprises erstwhile Indian Airlines pilots, has asked the pilots to return to work.

“The management also has to initiate immediate steps to rein in the situation. We are not part of the protest but we understand their problems,” an ICPA spokesperson said here yesterday.

On Friday, Air India Chairman and Managing Director Rohit Nandan said that employees’ dues for November would be paid soon.

The carrier currently has a total debt of Rs 43,777 crore, including loans and dues it owes to vendors like oil firms and airport operators. — IANS