Air India threatens to sack pilots who do not return to work by 5 pm today

New Delhi: As the strike by 700 of its pilots enters its third day, Air India has warned that it will fire pilots who don't report to work by 5 pm today. The threat hasn't prompted pilots to capitulate just yet. They say they don't want to work in "such a hostile environment" - unless they get an assurance that their raises will be reviewed within a specific time period, they will not head back to office.
As the stand-off continues, passengers' patience is certain to be tested - the airline has been forced to operate just 50 of 320 scheduled flights for today.
The management of the airline declared yesterday that no bookings for domestic flights would be taken till May 3 - an ominous sign as both pilots and the management fail to find common ground. Some experts estimate that the strike could be costing the airline upto four crore rupees a day. Other airlines are cashing in by hiking their fares - adding a new dimension to passengers' nightmares.
Flights into and out of Delhi and Mumbai are hit the worst. Twelve out of 56 flights are operating out of Mumbai today; 15 of Delhi's 66 flights will take off. So today, the airline has coopted planes from its cheaper strain - Air India Express - to fly passengers from Kerala to the Gulf this morning. (Read: Air India special flights to clear backlog)
29/04/11 Miloni Bhatt/NDTV

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Categories: Air India Apr 2011