- Saturday, March 01, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
Disappointed with the new pay structure finalised for them by Air India, the carrier’s pilots have rejected it. According to a Times of India report, they are assured of 40 hours of flying allowance every month — down from 70 hours in the pre-pandemic era. Two unions — Indian Commercial Pilots Asociation of erstwhile Indian Airlines and Indian Pilots Guild of erstwhile Air India have even warned of “industrial unrest” if the terms are forced on them.
In a joint statement issued on Wednesday (19), the two unions said, “These terms and conditions are not acceptable to us, and we will contest this travesty using any and all avenues available to us. Our member pilots will not sign this unilateral revised terms of employment and compensation. Any coercive steps or victimisation by the company against our member pilots to sign these draconian terms and compensation will lead to industrial unrest,” according to the daily.
A spokesperson of Air India said the new pay structure for pilots and cabin crew is the carrier’s endeavour “to bring in parity among different groups, encourage productivity and boost emoluments drawn by them”.
The official also said that the experienced pilots’ managerial and supevisory capacity is also being recognised by means of designating them as senior commander and offering them a special allowance every month.
“A large number of pilots and cabin crew have already accepted the new contracts, and the salary improvements and advancement opportunities they enable. The airline will continue to engage with the remainder of its staff through this process as currently there is no recognised union in Air India,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying by the Times.
