Vistara flight cancellation number could go up to 70 as airline struggles to plug pilot gap
Vistara has been forced to reduce flight operations due to non-availability of pilots as many first officers have been reporting sick to protest against pay revision, a development that forced the carrier to cancel up to 50 flights on Monday.
- Apr 2, 2024,
- Updated Apr 2, 2024 9:04 AM IST
More Vistara flights from key cities face cancellations as the airline struggles to plug a pilot gap. As many as 15 flights taking off from Mumbai, 12 from Delhi and 11 from Bengaluru were reportedly cancelled. BT could not independently verify the cancellations.
Vistara has been forced to reduce flight operations due to non-availability of pilots as many first officers have been reporting sick to protest against pay revision, a development that forced the carrier to cancel up to 50 flights on Monday.
The number of cancellations, according to PTI, could go up to 70. A Vistara spokesperson said the airline had a significant number of flight cancellations and delays in the past few days due to various reasons, including crew unavailability.
"We have decided to temporarily reduce the number of flights we operate, to ensure adequate connectivity across our network," the spokesperson said in a statement. The airline apologised for the disruptions but did not provide details on the number of flight cancellations.
The spokesperson also said efforts are being made to stabilise the situation and that operations at regular capacity will resume very soon. Reports claimVistara has been facing pilot issues since the revision in monthly emoluments for first officers of its A320 fleet following signing of new contracts. The spokesperson said teams are working towards minimising the discomfort to the customers. We have decided to temporarily reduce the number of flights we operate, to ensure adequate connectivity across our network. Further, the airline has deployed larger aircraft like B787-9 Dreamliner and A321neo on select domestic routes to combine flights or accommodate more number of customers, wherever possible.
Salary issues First officers reporting sick have forced the airline to cancel flights as their salaries have been reportedly reduced significantly. Reports claim the components of the salary have been reduced while incentives linked to flying hours have been raised. Details about the number of daily flights operated by Vistara could not be immediately ascertained. In the ongoing summer schedule, Vistara will be operating 25.22 per cent more weekly flights at 2,324.
More Vistara flights from key cities face cancellations as the airline struggles to plug a pilot gap. As many as 15 flights taking off from Mumbai, 12 from Delhi and 11 from Bengaluru were reportedly cancelled. BT could not independently verify the cancellations.
Vistara has been forced to reduce flight operations due to non-availability of pilots as many first officers have been reporting sick to protest against pay revision, a development that forced the carrier to cancel up to 50 flights on Monday.
The number of cancellations, according to PTI, could go up to 70. A Vistara spokesperson said the airline had a significant number of flight cancellations and delays in the past few days due to various reasons, including crew unavailability.
"We have decided to temporarily reduce the number of flights we operate, to ensure adequate connectivity across our network," the spokesperson said in a statement. The airline apologised for the disruptions but did not provide details on the number of flight cancellations.
The spokesperson also said efforts are being made to stabilise the situation and that operations at regular capacity will resume very soon. Reports claimVistara has been facing pilot issues since the revision in monthly emoluments for first officers of its A320 fleet following signing of new contracts. The spokesperson said teams are working towards minimising the discomfort to the customers. We have decided to temporarily reduce the number of flights we operate, to ensure adequate connectivity across our network. Further, the airline has deployed larger aircraft like B787-9 Dreamliner and A321neo on select domestic routes to combine flights or accommodate more number of customers, wherever possible.
Salary issues First officers reporting sick have forced the airline to cancel flights as their salaries have been reportedly reduced significantly. Reports claim the components of the salary have been reduced while incentives linked to flying hours have been raised. Details about the number of daily flights operated by Vistara could not be immediately ascertained. In the ongoing summer schedule, Vistara will be operating 25.22 per cent more weekly flights at 2,324.