VISTARA PILOTS' PROTEST AMIDST AIR INDIA MERGER HIGHLIGHTS INDUSTRY-WIDE CHALLENGES

Pilots are one of the most important human resources for any airline. Even more so in these times when the average growth in Indian Aviation is a close to 15 per cent. Unfortunately, though, pilots in India are an unhappy lot highlighted by the mass leave taken by Vistara pilots. NIDHI SHARMA dissects the issue.

- NIDHI SHARMA

Over the past few weeks, there has been growing dissatisfaction among pilots at Vistara, as the airline moves forward with its merger with Air India. This crisis at Vistara Airlines saw escalation as a large number of pilots collectively took sick leave, a response, say industry watchers, has been triggered by the introduction of a revised salary structure proposed by the airline ahead of its merger with Air India.

At the same time, reports have stated that pilots of the joint venture between the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines are operating near the limits of their maximum flight duty restrictions and spoke to the media about health issues in their talks with the company’s management.

A very large number of flights were grounded in recent days due to the absence of pilots who are reportedly protesting against the terms of the new contract following the decision to merge Vistara with Air India. Numerous first officers from Vistara's A320 fleet have been calling in sick.

It may be mentioned that Vistara has a fleet of 70 planes comprising 63 aircraft from the A320 family and seven wide-body Boeing 787s. Vistara employs approximately 1,000 pilots, with around 200 undergoing training at different stages.

There are apprehensions regarding a decrease in the fixed pay component and a higher emphasis on flying-related incentives in the salary structure. The introduction of new contracts, aimed at achieving parity between Vistara and Air India pilots, is part of the ongoing merger process.