Air India pilots' unions write to Puri again over pay cuts

The pilots' unions said that the Indian aviation scenario is decidedly showing an upward trend, other private carriers have started scaling back the COVID austerity pay cuts for their pilots. Their recovery is generously helped by preferential treatment in terms of the number of flights allotted to them vis-a-vis Air India.

New Delhi: Air India pilot unions have once again written to Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, urging him to convene an urgent meeting to review the massive pay cut for the pilots of Air India and its subsidiaries.

In a joint letter to Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday, the Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) and Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) said, "many of our member pilots have informed us of the immense stress they are under as they struggle to meet the needs of their children's education or ailing elderly patents."

"This huge discriminatory pay cut has become unsustainable for us. It is high time to review the massive pay cut for the pilots of Air India and its subsidiaries," the letter added.

The pilots union said that the Indian aviation scenario is decidedly showing an upward trend, other private carriers have started scaling back the COVID austerity pay cuts for their pilots. Their recovery is generously helped by preferential treatment in terms of the number of flights allotted to them vis-a-vis Air India.

Notably, India's largest airline IndiGo has reduced leave without pay (LWP) for its pilot from monthly 10 days in July to three days in November.

Terming state-run airlines decision for 25 per cent pay cut of pilots for five years as "illegal", the union further added that the recent pay cut of 60% for pilots from April 2020 as well as a drastic reduction in flying vis-a-vis private carriers has greatly diminished our livelihoods.

"In light of the above as well as our previous meetings, we request you to kindly grant us an urgent meeting at the earliest possible time. You are our singular hope in reversing the victimization," the letter added.

Rating agency ICRA had said that recovery in domestic air passenger traffic continued in September with the sequential growth of about 37-39 per cent in passenger volume in the previous month over August.

The passenger volumes, however, plunged around 60 per cent in September over the same month year ago.