Air India flights hit by pilots' strike

New Delhi:  At least 20 Air India flights have been cancelled after a major pilots' union went on strike at midnight. Several other Air India flights are reportedly running upto three hours late.

In retaliation, the management of the airline has derecognised The Indian Commercial Pilots' Association (ICPA), sealed its offices in Mumbai and Delhi, and declared the strike illegal.


The ICPA counts about 700 members who used to work for Indian Airlines till it was merged in 2007 with Air India. The ICPA says that Air India pilots are paid more and they want the disparity to end.

Around eight flights from Delhi and 11 from Mumbai were cancelled till 11 am. At the Mumbai airport, Air India has closed its counters.

150 executive or management pilots are being deputed to help operate flights. 

Larger planes- like the Boeing 777 and Boeing 747 could be used for key metro routes like Delhi and Mumbai to ensure fewer pilots are needed through the day.

Domestic flights that are likely to be affected are those that fly from Mumbai and Delhi to Goa, Cochin, Thiruvananthapuram and Indore.

An Air India spokesperson in Mumbai said the flight to Singapore has been cancelled. Other international routes to Afghanistan, Nepal and the Middle East are likely to be impacted.