Vistara Says Ops To Normalise Soon, Pilots Flag "Fatigue, Flying At Limit"

Vistara expects to resume normal flight ops by the weekend, company sources told NDTV Wednesday evening, hours after CEO Vinod Kannan and senior members of his management team held a virtual town hall with striking pilots. Company sources said the pilots had been promised a course correction to address concerns in the wake of the merger with Air India. This, sources said, will include improved growth potential once the merger is complete and better rostering of pilots, which is expected by May.

The pilots have been told that opportunities to earn more will exist post the merger.

Almost 100 per cent of the pilots have now accepted the new contract, sources said, adding that no protest had been expressed by pilots during the virtual town hall.

Emphasising the point that crisis brought on by pilot shortage is nearing an end, Vistara sources also said only 24 flights were cancelled today compared to the 52 affected yesterday.

While there seems to have been progress in talks with the airline, the pilots have underlined their concerns in a detailed 10-point statement shared with NDTV.

What Pilots Said

Vistara pilots have said they feel "overburdened because of a flight crew shortage" and warned that they are already operating at the "limits of what is allowed".

"Pilots are flying at the edge of their maximum flight duty limitations. This is causing major health issues and everyone is falling sick frequently. Pilots are already exceeding their maximum sick leaves in a year and ending up in leave without pay," the pilots have said.

"And, as always, it is easy to blame the pilots (but) calling in sick burns us financially, especially with the new contract where we are paid only if we fly."

The pilots said they had warned the airline's management of fatigue-related concerns.

"Management relies on the Boeing Alertness Model, and says 'flight is safe, so you should have nothing to complain about'. They trust software more than their own pilots... software made by Boeing... really?"

What Vistara Said

The airline had earlier said it faced a "significant number" of flight cancellations and delays "due to various reasons including crew unavailability". It also said it had decided to temporarily reduce the number of flights it operates "to ensure adequate connectivity across our network".

"We acknowledge and are deeply concerned about the inconvenience this has caused to our customers. Our teams are working towards minimising discomfort to customers," the airline said.

READ | Vistara CEO To Meet Pilots After Scores Of Flights Cancelled

Vistara pilots had called in sick to protest the revised salary structure ahead of the merger with Air India. The pilots were sent a revised pay structure over mail and asked to sign on a short notice. The pilots were also warned that those who did not sign would be left out of the merger.

Pilots have complained that their cost to company (CTC) had been reduced in the new contract, in which they are mandated to fly 40 hours as opposed to 70 hours earlier. Sources, however, said under the new structure pilots were incentivised to fly more, and could, in fact, earn more than they did earlier.

READ | Inside Track Of Vistara Crisis: Why Pilots Called In Sick En Masse

The centre is monitoring the situation and has sought daily reports from Vistara. Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has asked Vistara to share the steps taken to help inconvenienced passengers.

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