With no immediate resolution to the strike by a section of Air India pilots in sight,the government has firmed up a contingency plan to operate domestic flights which has suffered the most. The plan includes hiring retired Indian Airlines pilots and wet-leasing aircraft,said a top government official. The government is clear that Air India has to operate, said a civil aviation ministry official. Apart from trunk routes like Delhi-Mumbai,Air India will continue to operate on routes where private carriers do not fly. These could include some routes in the north-eastern sector which may not be lucrative but are remotely located and thereby require connectivity, said the official. The retirement age for Air India pilots is 58 and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) rules allow commercial flying till the age of 65. On day seven of the strike,over 90 per cent of domestic operations were hit,with only 40 flights operating of the total 165 domestic flights. The airline is likely to decide by Wednesday if it should continue to suspend bookings. With neither of the parties willing to blink,the civil aviation minister Vayalar Ravi has ruled out any talks with the agitating pilots unless they report to work. The pilots on their part said they are willing to talk and resolve the matter but the management hasnt called them. Sources in the airline said that management may consider re-instating some of the sacked pilots but ruled out lifting the ban on the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA). Pilots slapped with contempt notices,no work,no pay AIR India today announced no work,no pay as defiant pilots continued to strike work and disrupt its flights for the seventh day. Also,the Delhi High Court issued contempt notices to nine sacked office-bearers of the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) for disobeying its order to call off the strike. We are implementing no work,no pay against all those who are not reporting for duty. Their April salary will not be processed if they do not join work, an Air India officer said. The company is making efforts to garner resources to pay salaries to the rest of the employees. Bank loans were also being organised,the officer said. The striking pilots refused to budge saying they would call off the stir only when the management assured the High Court that their demands would be considered within a time-frame. Rapping both the airline management and the pilots association for their rigid attitude,the court earlier appointed an amicus curiae,senior lawyer Siddharth Luthra,to assist it in resolving the stand-off. It seems that you are also not interested in getting the strike called off, a division bench headed by Justice BD Ahmed told Lalit Bhasin,Air India managements counsel. The bench ordered contempt notices against nine of them,posting the matter for May 25. The ICPA members issued notices for contempt are its president A S Bhinder,vice-president Ramesh Gangadharan,Rishabh Kapur,Rajesh Kuyeskar,Ritesh Mathankar,Nitin Mahangade,Anup,Shakil and Amitesh.
