Even as the stalemate
continues in Air India, the national carrier has already lost about Rs. 500
crore in terms of revenue during the 45-day-old strike by pilots.
The continuing strike
has forced the airline to once again extend the international contingency plan,
for the fourth time since the protest began on May 7, indicating that things
may not change for quite some time. As part of the plan, the interim schedule
will be extended for international flights till July 31 or until the strike is
called off before that day, according to an AI official.
The airline will
operate 38 international flights per day instead of the 45 it operates under
normal conditions.
First, the interim
schedule was to be operational till May 25 but was extended till June 1 and then
again till June 30.
While most of the
services affected are those to Europe and North America, where a curtailed
operation is being maintained, the only destinations not covered under this
schedule are Hong Kong, Osaka, Seoul and Toronto. All flights to the UAE, Oman,
Bahrain, Kuwait, Singapore, Thailand and SAARC countries are being operated as
per the normal schedule.
Air India is planning
to begin its Jeddah and Tokyo flights from next month. Presently, some of its
aircraft are on duty with the Prime Minister, who is on a visit to Mexico and
Brazil. As soon as they are back, the Jeddah and Tokyo flights will be
launched.
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