AI pilots' strike enters third day,
20 flights cancelled
New Delhi: The strike by Air India pilots
entered its third day on Monday with the airline forced to cancel
18 domestic and two international flights.
Among the flights that have been cancelled are flights from
Delhi, Kolkata and Bangalore. Flights from Guwahati to Bangalore
and Hyderabad to Tirupati also stand cancelled.
Representative of executive pilots, Captain
V K Bhalla, said the pilots have been only asking for what
they deserve.
"There are no conditions
from our side. What we are asking for is what we deserve.
We have been working without allowances since three months
now," said Bhalla.
On Sunday the five-hour long talk between Air
India management and the pilots failed to reach any agreement.
The pilots have been demanding that they also be paid their
three-months arrears and reverse the cut in PLI.
A committee will now look into the cut in Performance-Linked
Incentives (PLI) that has the pilots up in arms.
Nearly 400 pilots have threatened to go on
mass sick leave in protest against the airline's proposal.
Flights schedules have been severely affected
with many pilots taking sick leave. On Sunday at least 22
flights, including some international flights, were cancelled.
Eleven flights were cancelled on Saturday as
several pilots failed to report for duty.
Air India on Wednesday decided
to slash the PLIs of employees by 25 to 50 per cent as part
of its cost-cutting measures.
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