AI begins international operations, 3 ’sick’ pilots resume duty

PTI

New Delhi, Mumbai, 16 May 2012: In an attempt to restore normalcy, Air India on Wednesday began international operations to the US and Europe as part of its contingency plan even as striking pilots asked the government to initiate preliminary talks.

 

As the stir by the pilots entered the ninth day, the airline curtailed and clubbed many of its flights to the US and Europe to stabilize international operations.

 

"We have put in force our contingency plan and started operating our international flights, which were affected for the past eight days causing great inconvenience to our customers. Slowly, we hope that our operations would normalise," said an Air India official.

 

The national carrier, operated Delhi-Paris-New York (JFK) and Delhi-Frankfurt-Chicago flight early this morning while it would be operating Delhi-Shanghai and Delhi-London as per schedule.

 

"We have merged Mumbai-London and Mumbai-Shanghai flights with the Delhi-London and Delhi-Shanghai flights. We are operating these flights with Boeing 777 ER aircraft so we won’t have problem accommodating the passengers," the official said, adding this will bring relief to many of our passengers who were anxious about their flights status.

 

Most of our passengers are those who have booked tickets months ago for their journey, he said, adding if situation permits then we may open our bookings for our ultra-long flights, which have been suspended till tomorrow.

 

"We have deployed Airbus 320 aircraft for our short haul flights to Bangkok, Singapore and other destinations," he said.

 

In another development, the striking Air India pilots asked the government to at least initiate preliminary talks.

 

"The government should at least being preliminary talks. We are ready for talks but they should formally invite us for talks to resolve the issue," Jitendra Awhad, head of the Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) said.

 

’Sick pilots’ return to work

Meanwhile, on day nine of the stir by over 200 Air India pilots, three pilots resumed duty today and the protesters said they were "open" to talks with the government to resolve the impasse.

 

IPG, which is spearheading the agitation, said in a statement it was "open to meeting with officials of the management and/or ministry at any place at any time in order to resolve these issues and bring an end to the current impasse."

 

An AI spokesperson said, "three sick pilots have resumed duty today". The IPG claimed that they were not its members. The agitation has led to curtailment of the airline’s international operations.

 

Even as it offered to get to the negotiating table, the IPG accused the airline management of providing "incorrect" inputs on their demands to civil aviation minister Ajit Singh.

 

"The strike continues ... We don’t want pilots to be martyred," IPG president and NCP MLA Jitendra Ahwad told PTI when asked whether they were willing to call off their agitation that has led to a revenue loss of over Rs 150 crore to the loss-making carrier besides causing inconvenience to passengers.

 

Ajit Singh has promised to hear the pilots’ grievances unconditionally and appealed to them to return to work, saying they had the "last chance" to revive the "almost bankrupt" airline.

 

He has also assured them there would be no vindictive action if the striking pilots came for talks unconditionally.

 

Asked to comment on the ongoing stir, heavy industry minister and senior NCP leader Praful Patel said, "it is unfair for me to comment on anything that is going on. All I can say is that the aviation minister’s approach is right and I fully support the minister for whatever steps he has taken and intends to take."