Zeebiz BureauMumbai: Acting on a petition filed by the Indian Pilots’ Guild (IPG), the Bombay high Court, Wednesday, stayed the Boeing 787 training program for Air India pilots.
The court while putting a stay on the October 20 schedule issued by AI for proposed slots for training of pilots for the Boeing 787 aircraft, which would be inducted in its fleet over the next few months, posted the matter for further hearing on November 14.
The IPG is against the decision of airlines management to draw equal number of pilots from the erstwhile AI and Indian Airlines for training for the new Boeing 787.
The IPG represents around 200 pilots of the pre-merger Air India, while the Indian Commercial Pilots Association that had gone on strike in April-May this year represents around 1,400 pilots of the erstwhile Indian Airlines.
The pilots have accused the management of adopting discriminatory attitude against them vis-a-vis their erstwhile Indian Airlines counterparts.
The IPG has contended the experience of Indian Airlines pilots is far less than that of the Air India pilots and has sought that the 1:1 policy should not be implemented and only AI pilots should be assigned duty on these new advanced aircraft.
The IPG wants that only pilots of erstwhile AI should be trained on these aircraft which are meant to be flown on long-haul international routes.
101 AI pilots, owing allegiance to IPG, have sent a signed letter to the management threatening to quit, saying they were "compelled to seek a no-objection certificate so that we may consider seeking employment elsewhere".
Air India operations have been partially hit by the impasse, especially after talks between protesting pilots and the management failing to make any headway. Operations of budget carrier Air India Express being affected with 23 of its cockpit crew reporting sick.
Negotiations between representatives of the Indian Pilots' Guild (IPG) and AI management ended in Delhi "without consensus" yesterday but both sides decided to continue the talks here today.
First Published: Wednesday, November 02, 2011, 12:18