Nearly A Month Of Flight Cancellations May Threaten The Airline's Survival

Pilots for Air India have been on strike for nearly a month, which is eating into the bottom line of the airline to the tune of some $63 million, officials said Saturday.

The Everett, Washington Herald relays a report from the Deutsche Presse-Agentur which indicates that if the strike continues, the airline may not be able to survive.

The strike, which was not authorized by the government of India and so is considered unofficial, began May 8th. More than 200 pilots have engaged in a "sick-out" ... and the airline has fired 101 of them. Air India Chairman Rohit Nandan told the IANS news agency that the pilots are jeopardizing not only their jobs, but the jobs of everyone who works for the airline. "They should think about the long-term impact this strike will have," he said. The airline on Friday cancelled seven international flights as part of an emergency standby plan.

The Air India pilots are protesting a training schedule for flying Boeing's new Dreamliner that they say favors pilots from Indian Airlines, which merged with Air India in 2007. The Indian government recently announced a $6 billion bailout for Air India, but that comes with the caveat that the airline improve its performance. Meanwhile, the losses are piling up as the pilot's protest stretches into the country's peak travel season.

FMI: www.dgca.nic.in