By IANS,
Mumbai : At least a dozen flights from Mumbai were cancelled Thursday as a strike by Air India pilots belonging to the erstwhile Indian Airlines entered the second day. Hundreds of passengers bound for destinations like Nagpur, Chennai, New Delhi and other places were compelled to cancel their travel plans.
Till 9 a.m., Air India managed to operate six flights from Mumbai to various destinations with the help of executive pilots, an official said.
According to airport sources, 10 arrivals to Mumbai from various sectors, including some international sectors, were cancelled Thursday due to non-availability of pilots.
Disruptions continued to plague Air India’s flight plans across its domestic network and now some impact is visible even on the international sectors.
Around 600 pilots, owing allegiance to the Indian Commercial Pilots Association of the former Indian Airlines, which merged with the Air India later, have struck work since Tuesday midnight demanding parity in pay with the Air India pilots and other issues related to work conditions.
Terming the strike as “illegal”, the Air India management hit back by de-recognising the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) and sealing its offices in Mumbai.
Sometime ago, Minister for Civil Aviation Vayalar Ravi had appointed a four-member committee headed by former Bombay High Court judge Justice C.S. Dharmadhikari to look into all issues in a consolidated manner.
“The committee report is expected in around three months. We feel that the pilots should have waited for the submissions in it before resorting to agitational methods,” the official told IANS.