New Delhi:
It's the 14th day of the Air India pilots' strike and neither the pilots nor the government is blinking yet, though some protesting pilots have been reporting back to work - including four today. 30 more pilots have also been sacked by the airline today. Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh met union leaders today, in a bid to find a way out of the crisis. But the Indian Pilots Guild (IPG), which began this strike, was not a part of the unions invited for the talks, as it was de-recognised some days ago.
Here are the top 10 developments in the case:
Air India has sacked 30 more pilots today, taking the number to 101. Almost 400 pilots are still on strike. At least four of the striking pilots reported back to work today.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh met the leaders of the 10 recognised Air India unions today. Mr Singh has appealed to the unions that they should consider the health of their organisation before deciding to carry on with the strike. "I had convened this meeting (with the unions) to listen to their views. We discussed the current situation facing Air India, the Turnaround and Financial Restructuring Plans and the airline's future," Mr Singh told reporters after an over 90-minute meeting. "I sought the support of all the unions to restore its financial health and its earlier 'Maharaja' status," he added.
The Indian Pilots Guild (IPG), which has been de-recognised by Air India, was not invited for the meeting. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Indian Commercial Pilots association, cabin crew, ground handlers and other employees.
The pilots remain adamant that the government take back the sacked pilots, re-recognise IPG and give them some sort of assurance that their earlier demands of a career progression would be taken care of.
The national carrier operated a curtailed international schedule, flying eight West-bound flights instead of normal schedule of 16 daily flights.
The airline has so far lost about Rs. 200 crore due to the agitation by pilots, who have been reporting 'sick' in the past 13 days.
The pilots' 15-day strike period ends today after which they will have to undergo fitness test. If they fail, these pilots will not be allowed to fly a plane till they prove their fitness again.
On Thursday, the division bench of the Delhi High Court had upheld the order of the single-judge bench declaring the pilots' strike illegal. The division bench also said contempt proceedings should be started against the pilots.
A report by the regulatory body for airlines showed that Air India's seat occupancy for flights within India has fallen to 70%, the lowest among all domestic carriers for the month of April. Compare that to 82% for Indigo, or 77% for Jet. The 16-page report by the Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGCA) evaluated other factors for airline performance for every month. It finds that Air India is the only airline whose on-time performance is less than 80%.
This strike also comes weeks after the government cleared a bailout of 30,000 crores for the airline. "This bailout is not without strings. They have to meet strict standards...we can't keep pouring (in) public money. This is the last chance for them to perform," Mr Ajit Singh had said in the Lok Sabha last week.
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