Strike spillover: 12 AI flights cancelled

Passenger hold-ups continued at the Indira Gandhi International Airport even after the Air India strike was called off late on Wednesday evening.

Passenger hold-ups continued at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport even after the Air India strike was called off late on Wednesday evening. The airline cancelled 12 scheduled flights on Thursday. While the airline officials called them planned cancellations,they said the huge passenger backlog in Delhi would take another two days to clear.

An Air India spokesperson said the cancellations had been announced on Wednesday evening itself to avoid any last moment confusion. The staff reporting back after the strike work in various shifts. To avoid any confusion,plans were made to cancel at least 12 flights on Thursday.

Apart from derecognising the two unions of the erstwhile Indian Airlines that were on strike Air Corporations Employees Union and the All India Aircraft Engineers Association on Thursday,the Air India management also sacked at least 58 employees,including office-bearers of these unions.

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At the Delhi Airport,there were visible signs of relief. A group of 26 Haj pilgrims who had arrived from Jeddah and were bound for Ahmedabad,have been stranded in Delhi for the last three days. Eighty-year-old Norruddin was relieved the group could finally head home. Though we had been put up in good hotels by Air India,I am glad the strike is over, he said.

An airline official said passengers had been informed of the cancelled flights on Wednesday itself. All flights would fly as per schedule from Thursday evening,he added. The entire backlog would be cleared by Saturday, he added.

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