New Delhi: Air India on Sunday cancelled over 30 domestic and international flights operating out of various cities with the agitation by its executive pilots continuing for the second day, even as they refused to hold talks till a directive to effect a cut in their productivity-linked incentives (PLI) is withdrawn.
The national carrier cancelled 17 flights from the national Capital, five each from Mumbai and Chennai and four from Kolkata.
"As per the contingency plan, we have cancelled flights on those sectors which have low passenger load or on which there are alternative flights, either by us or by other airlines," an Air India official said.
"We informed the passengers about the cancellation of flights and also made adequate arrangement of funds, so that their is no shortage of funds in case they go for refund claims," the official added.
The airlines had to cancel the flights as pilots did not report to duty citing health reasons. However, Air India officials in Mumbai maintained that they cancelled five flights due to "technical reasons".
Captain V K Bhalla, a representative of agitating executive pilots told PTI, "We will not go for any negotiation until the management comes to a neutral platform. By neutral platform I mean first the payment of the allowances of all pilots, which is due for the last three months and second the withdrawal of the directive for a up to 50 per cent reduction in PLIs," he said.
Air India CMD Arvind Jadhav was expected to meet the agitating pilots in Mumbai later Sunday to "address their concerns" and resolve the agitation.
"The airline should also roll back the up to 50 per cent cut in Productivity-Linked Incentives (PLI) prior to any negotiations," Bhalla said.
"The management has also not paid salary allowances of both executive and line pilots for the past three months and they should also be paid before calling the pilots at the negotiation table," he added.
Bhalla claimed that the Air India management had approached a few pilots based in Mumbai and ignored others in Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai.
A section of Air India executive pilots have not reported for work since Friday night in protest against the management's decision to cut PLI by up to 50 per cent as part of the airline's turnaround plan.
Keeping in view the agitation by the executive (senior) pilots, the airline reduced its seat availability from 37,000 to 22,000 per day," Air India spokesperson Jitendra Bhargava said.
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