Three AI flights cancelled as some pilots start agitation

Three Air India flights, including one international flight, were on Saturday cancelled due to an agitation called by a section of the national airlines' pilots to protest the up to 50 per cent reduction in their productivity-linked incentives (PLIs).

Air India's flights to Mumbai and Kabul were cancelled this morning as the pilots did not report for duty, airline officials said. The passengers of the cancelled flight to Mumbai have been accomodated in the next flight while those going to Kabul have been lodged in a hotel.

A section of Air India Executive pilots had last night threatened to go on the agitation to protest the reduction in their productivity-linked incentives (PLIs).

Representative of executive pilots Captain Bhalla had said that "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."

Official sources said the executive pilots were taken on board over the PLI reduction and their move was surprising. There are 300 executive pilots in the national carrier and since they are part of the airlines management, they cannot form a union and also cannot go on strike, official sources said.

Citing the massive cut in their PLI as the reason for the strike, Bhalla said, "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."

"He is trying to hire foreign pilots at the rate of $13,500 and wants us to work for peanuts," he alleged. Bhalla alleged that the Chairman had not discussed the salary cuts with executive pilots. Bhalla alleged that the Chairman had not discussed the salary cuts with Executive pilots.

As the executive pilots have decided to go ahead with their agitation from tomorrow, the operations of Air India flights would be disrupted, said Capt Bhalla. Bhalla, commander of an Airbus 330 aircraft, alleged that he and other pilots were not paid their flying allowances for the past two months by the airlines management and had just recieved Rs 6,000 as salary this month.

Meanwhile, another pilot union, Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) has decided to extend their support to the agitation by the executive pilots and said they will not cooperate with the airlines management. "We will not cooperate with the management, in case we are called in to replace any of the agitating pilots. And if management takes any action against any one of them, then we may also join the agitating pilots," a ICPA source said