Govt, AI striking pilots meet, to again talk today

New Delhi/ Mumbai : After seven days of standoff, Air India pilots finally came to the negotiating table today. Joint secretary (civil aviation) Prashant Sukul and ministry officials met representatives of the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) in a bid to end the strike, which has disrupted the government-owned carrier’s domestic service.
However, the first such meeting between pilots and the government remained inconclusive. Civil Aviation Secretary Nasim Zaidi said ground had been prepared to take the talks to the next level tomorrow, so that the airline management may also take part. ‘’There was no conclusion to the talks today but most points have been covered. The rest will be addressed in tomorrow’s talks,’’ he said.
This was a day after the high court here had issued contempt notices to nine of the strike leaders. As they’d also been dismissed before this, the court also asked the AI management to consider reinstating them. Far from calling off the strike, the pilots sent another letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday, demanding his intervention and to probe corruption in the airline.
Meanwhile, as AI services remained crippled for the eighth day today, the airline is preparing to induct capacity on a wet lease (the term for a short-term lease, whereby aircraft is borrowed for a specified period from another airline, with the crew, maintenance and insurance). An advertisement in this regard is being issued tomorrow, a statement said.
05/05/11 New Delhi/Business Standard

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Categories: Air India May 2011