AI pilots willing to fly other aircraft

Mumbai: A section of Air India pilots met the Civil Aviation Secretary Prashant Sukul on Thursday and indicated they are willing to fly a different fleet of aircraft to increase their flying hours. These pilots had gone on a 10-day strike in late April to demand equity in pays with the erstwhile Indian Airlines pilots.
Pilots also claimed that the ministry has promised to pay their pending salaries of March in the next 48 hours. During the meeting, the pilots indicated they are willing to fly other aircraft besides the A-320, which is a legacy of Indian Airlines.
“The government is looking at ways to increase the aircraft utilisation on the domestic sector and we have told the government that we are willing to be shifted to other aircraft as well. Pilots are willing to undergo training and get the type certification for B-737, B-777, B-787,” said a source. One of the reasons for pilots going on strike was because the flying hours had been reduced which resulted in reduced salaries, unlike the erstwhile IA pilots who were paid a fixed salary for 80 hours of flying. Currently, because of reduced aircraft utilisation of the A-320 fleet, Air India has around 100 sets of pilots who are unutilised. “We have suggested to either increase the aircraft utilisation of A-320 or shift some pilots to other fleets,” said a pilot. The average aircraft utilisation per day on a domestic fleet for Air India is around nine hours, much less than the global average of around 13 hours.
20/05/11 Indian Express

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Categories: Air India May 2011