Air India strike: Govt steps in to end pilots' stir

The ministry of civil aviation (MoCA), which till now had been maintaining a distance from the Air India pilots' strike , finally stepped in on Wednesday and held talks with the pilots.

Sources said the meeting which started on Wednesday evening was attended by joint secretary Prashant Sukul from the MoCA who spoke to Capt A. S. Bhinder and other striking pilots. The talks between the government and the striking pilots made some progress and will be resumed on Thursday to sort out a few sticking issues.

Meanwhile, the pilots changed their site of protest. The pilots who were gathered in protest at the Terminal 1 of the Delhi airport shifted to Gurgaon on Wednesday.

"The move was necessitated by the police imposing Section 144 of CrPC at the Airport because of which a gathering of more than four people was rendered unlawful," said a senior official.

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Sources said the pilots may soon shift their protest site to the Delhi Flying Club, which is close to Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan, the office of MoCA.

Air India's services remained crippled for the eighth day on Wednesday due to the pilots' strike with the ailing airline operating just ten per cent of its overall flights including 10 each from Mumbai and Delhi.

About 40 flights were in operation as the airline cancelled almost 90 per cent of its 320 daily services.

Air India is suffering a loss of Rs 26 crore per day on account of the stir. The Delhi High Court had on Tuesday slapped contempt notices on nine office bearers of the de-recognised Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) for disobeying its order to call off the strike, while deciding to take up the matter on May 25.

The pilots, who struck work from midnight last Tuesday, have been demanding pay parity with their colleagues of the erstwhile Air India, better working conditions, CBI inquiry into alleged withdrawal of flights from profitable routes and aircraft purchase, among other issues.

Courtesy: Mail Today