Air India cancels flights as pilots strike

Associated Press

NEW DELHI — Air India canceled four international flights Tuesday after about 150 pilots failed to turn up for work in a protest against unpaid salaries and poor working conditions.

The airline has sacked 10 pilots and has ordered the striking pilots to return to work by Tuesday evening, said K. Swaminathan, an Air India official.

The strike could cripple the beleaguered airline’s international operations just ahead of the peak holiday season here.

The government recently pledged a $6 billion bailout for the ailing national carrier with the money to be pumped into the company over the next eight years.

Air India has been losing about a billion dollars a year as it struggles with the legacy of a poorly executed 2007 merger, debt costs and a swollen staff.

The pilots were negotiating for better pay and job promotions when the talks broke down.

Jitendra Awhad, president of the Indian Pilots Guild, the trade union of Air India pilots, said some pilots had not been paid for six months.

“We resorted to this strike action only after the management failed to concede to our demands,” Awhad said.

Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said the airline’s management had the support of the government.

“We support the Air India management. Passengers are being inconvenienced. Pilots should act more responsibly,” Singh said.