Air India pilots meet Ajit, crisis may end soon

CNN-IBN | 25-May 13:55 PM

New Delhi: A truce between Air India management and striking pilots may be on the cards after Union Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on Friday met the pilots.

Sources told CNN-IBN that the sacked pilots may be taken back on the case-to-case basis. The Air India management is also likely to hire pilots for international operations soon.

Taking a tough stand on the issue earlier, the Aviation Minister had blamed Air Indias striking pilots for the airlines poor financial condition. He had said that the government was doing everything to break the deadlock but the striking pilots were not ready to listen.

"We are ready to discuss all the issue. Let us realise that the Air India is in a very bad financial condition. We are in the process of determining the impact of Dharmadhikari report on the employees. We informed the pilots about it but they are not listening. Many pilots reported sick," Singh had said in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

The blame game continued after the Pilots Guild on Wednesday accused the management of indulging in financial malpractice and mismanagement that has caused the airline losses worth Rs 4,300 crore.

"Mismanagement of the company's resources, hostility towards the welfare of erstwhile Air India employees and forced merger are the main reasons for the pilots' agitation. Air India lost Rs 4,300 crore in leasing airplanes," IPG Joint Secretary Tauseef Mukadam had claimed.

The strike has caused Air India a loss of over Rs 250 crore so far. The airline has been operating curtailed international operations and announced a contingency plan that would remain effective till June 30.

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