Now 100 Air India pilots call in sick, flights cancelled

, May 8: Atleast 100

pilots associated with the Indian Pilots Guild in Delhi and

failed to report for duty on Monday night citing health concerns.

Reports reveal that the number of pilots failing to turn up for work is expected to go upto 250 on Tuesday.

"The management (Air India) completely backtracked from what had been agreed upon in the last 2-3 days. Therefore, we are left with no option but to intensify our agitation," said sources.

Earlier, a section of Air India pilots called in sick delaying international flights by 16-24 hours in a bid to show their protest against the decision to send domestic sector pilots for training on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

According to reports in a meeting on Monday, the airline management told the pilots that there was no reason for them to go on strike when a bailout package was already announced by the government for the ailing airlines.

It is understood that the pilots have been asked to wait till Justice DM Dharamadhikari Committee report is brought into effect by the government.

"No time is good for agitation. But at times things come to such a passe when agitation is the last resort to get the pending issues resolved," said sources from the Indian Pilots Guild.

The strike by the pilots have affected four international flights. The cancelled flights include flights from Mumbai to New Jersey, New Delhi to Chicago, New Delhi to Hong Kong and New Delhi to Toronto.

OneIndia News