New Delhi: There will be no strike by private airlines on 18 August. In a news that comes as a huge relief to thousands of passengers across the country, the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) has announced that all private carriers have put the August 18 strike on hold.
After the Aviation Minister's warning on Saturday, Indigo and SpiceJet were the first to announce that they will operate flights on that day.
PTI adds: The Federation of Indian Airlines, which gave the strike call last Friday, announced the decision in view of the "agitating public sentiments" and the potential inconvenience to thousands of passengers and the government's "willingness" to enter into a dialogue. Private carriers carry about 80 per cent of the domestic passenger traffic.
With the government cracking the whip, FIA secretary general Anil Baijal said in a statement the Federation decided to put "on hold" its decision to suspend flights on August 18 to protest the high taxes on jet fuel and airport charges.
The Federation on behalf of Kingfisher, Jet, Go Air, Spicejet and Indigo hoped that talks with the government will lead to redressal of problems faced by the aviation industry.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has threatened strong action after the FIA gave the strike call.
After budget carrier Indigo on Saturday pulled out of the strike, another budget airline Spicejet on Sunday broke ranks and decided to operate all flights on August 18.
MDLR, which is not a FIA member, said it will operate the flights as scheduled on the day of strike call. Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel has warned of action and favoured a dialogue with the private carriers, who have said they were "bleeding".