Mounting losses due to agitation may make disbursement of wage arrears by June deadline difficult.
As the agitation by protesting pilots entered the fourth day today, 12 Air India international flights were cancelled even as the civil aviation minister hoped that the airline "does not enter the ICU".
Private carrier Jet Airways on Friday said it plans to introduce a new flight service on the Mumbai-Dubai sector from May 18.
The Supreme Court today refused to entertain contempt of court application filed by the Air India management against the striking pilots.
Holding that nobody should maintain a stubborn stand, civil aviation minister Ajit Singh today said if the striking Air India pilots returned to work, the government was willing to discuss all issues with them.
'Hope AI crisis doesn't get worse'
A section of Kingfisher Airlines pilots on Friday called off their two-day-old agitation over non-payment of salaries after some tough talk by the carrier's boss Vijay Mallya, who vowed to deal with the situation "firmly".
The crisis in Air India worsened today with the Air India management sacking 25 more pilots and writing to DGCA to cancel the licenses of 11 dismissed office bearers of the Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) after over 200 striking pilots refused to return to work.
They are at it again. Steeped in losses and surviving on taxpayer’s money, Air India (AI) pilots have struck work yet again. This is the sixth strike in AI since 2009 and the fourth by pilots — its highest-paid employees with many earning around
Rs. 12 lakh a month — in less than a year.
Tushar Srivastava reports.
Empty cockpits |
Prescription for revivalThe Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has warned airlines not raise airfares to unreasonable levels following a sudden spurt in prices of tickets due to a strike by Air India (AI) pilots.
On the fifth day of the stand-off between the Air India (AI) management and striking pilots, the former on Friday asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to cancel the flying licences of 11 pilots leading the agitation, which has caused cancellation of more than 50 flights since Monday.
With the agitation by Air India pilots entering the fifth day today, the national carrier cancelled 16 flights from New Delhi and Mumbai even as senior pilots sought the PM's intervention to end the impasse.
71 pilots sacked in four days
The government made it clear on Saturday that there can be no talks with the striking Air India (AI) pilots till they call off their “illegal” strike and apologise to passengers.
71 pilots sacked in four days
Accusing the management of discrimination against the Indian Pilots Guild, union president Jitendra Awhad said when the Indian Airlines Pilots had gone on a strike, the management happily negotiated with them but it was not ready to talk with IPG.
Pilots strike, passengers suffer 
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71 pilots sacked in four days As the stalemate between Air India and agitating pilots entered the fifth day on Saturday, the DGCA tonight issued notices to 11 office bearers of Indian Pilots Guild(IPG) after the airline management sought cancellation of their flying licences.
The Air India management has sacked 71 pilots already. While the Indian Pilots Guild (IGP) has sought talks, civil aviation minister Ajit Singh made it clear no dialogue was possible until the pilots withdrew the agitation and apologised to the passengers.
Harinder Baweja reports.
The scruffy Maharaja