COVID-19 effect: Air India suspends contract of around 200 employees

"Since almost all the planes have been grounded and the carrier's revenues have taken a significant fall during the last few weeks, the airline has decided to temporarily suspend the contract of around 200 employees including pilots who were re-employed after their retirement," said the official.

New Delhi: Air India on Thursday temporarily suspended the contracts of around 200 employees including pilots, who were re-employed after retirement, as all domestic and international commercial passenger flights have been suspended in the country till April 14 to curb the COVID-19 pandemic, a senior official said.

"Since almost all the planes have been grounded and the carrier's revenues have taken a significant fall during the last few weeks, the airline has decided to temporarily suspend the contract of around 200 employees including pilots who were re-employed after their retirement," said the official.

The national carrier has already cut the allowances of all employees, except cabin crew, by 10 per cent for the next three months in order to save money amid the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the health ministry, death toll due to coronavirus touched 50 on Thursday. Total number of positive cases has risen to 1,965 in the country.

AI enters into charter flight agreements with 4 countries

Air India has entered into commercial charter flight agreements with four countries to repatriate their citizens.

According to Air India CMD Rajiv Bansal, the airline has entered into agreements with France, Canada, Germany and Ireland to ferry their citizens back home. The airline will operate 18 flights under these agreements.

"We were approached by these countries' embassies for charter flights to repatriate their citizens back home. These agreements are on commercial basis," Bansal said in an online press conference of the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Bansal added that after ferrying the passengers, the aircraft will return without any passengers on-board.

(PTI Report)