PIL dip causes pilot protest, AI flights cancelled

New Delhi, Sep 26: A section of the national airlines' pilots broke into an agitation protesting the 50 per cent reduction in their productivity-linked incentives (PLIs) and as a result, two Air India flights were cancelled.

Airline officials said that the pilots did not report for the Air India flights headed to Mumbai and Kabul.

The passengers of Mumbai filght were accommodated in the next flight while those going to Kabul were put up in a hotel.

"The Executive pilots have taken a decision to go on strike because nobody is in state of mind to work due to the salary cuts. Starting now, we will not work," said Captain Bhalla, the Representative of Executive pilots.

Official sources informed that there were around 300 Executive pilots in the national carrier and not being a part of airlines management doesn't allow them to go on a strike.

However, Bhalla reasoned that the PIL reduction was the cause of the strike.

"With a stroke of a pen, the CMD Arvind Jadhav has cut 70 per cent salary of all the Executive pilots with 50 per cent being evident and 20 per cent hidden," said he.

"He is trying to hire foreign pilots at the rate of USD 13,500 and wants us to work for peanuts."

OneIndia News