New Delhi, May 21:
Air India terminated
the services of 30 more pilots on Monday. This takes to 101 the number of
pilots whose services have been terminated by the state owned airline since the
agitation began 18 days ago.
Meanwhile, breaking
ranks two pilots, who had gone on sudden sick leave, reported back to duty in
Mumbai on Monday. Normal airline operations have been affected since May 4 when
a section of pilots started reporting sick.
The agitation is
causing a daily revenue loss of Rs 12-15 crore to the Maharaja. The pilots are
agitating against the management decision to train pilots of the erstwhile
Indian on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Air India has ordered 27 Boeing
787 aircraft and the first is expected to join the fleet at the end of the
month.
Interestingly, even as
the agitation continues, pilots of erstwhile Indian and Air India continue to
train overseas to fly the Dreamliner.
Domestic flight also hit
Sources indicated that
though the agitation is being led by pilots operating flights to the UK, Europe,
the US and Canada among others, the industrial unrest was also affecting the
carriage of flights on domestic flights operated by the airline.
“Air India carries a
lot of passengers who transfer from an international flight to a domestic
flight and on their return flight also.
This number has seen a
drastic drop of about 2,500-3,000 passengers a day,” a senior airline official
said.
Government officials
and senior airlines officials are worried that the agitation could impact the
Government decision to provide Rs 30,000 crore to Air India over 10 years.
The Government has
made it clear that the funds will be released only if the airline sees an
increase in passenger carried and aircraft utilisation.
The current agitation
has seen the airline truncate its normal international services, a move which
is bound to lead a decline in passenger carried and aircraft utilisation.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article3443257.ece?homepage=true
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