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Vistara crisis: Amid turbulence, at least 15 pilots quit airline
Vistara flight cancellation crisis: Amid ongoing protests by Vistara pilots over pay revision, sources revealed that at least 15 senior first officers recently resigned from the airline. Vistara operates around 300 flights daily and has a fleet of 70 aircraft including A320-family planes and Boeing 787s.
In recent weeks, the Tata Group-owned airline has faced discontent among pilots, particularly first officers of its A320 fleet reporting sick.Sources told PTI that the senior first officers who resigned have joined a domestic budget carrier.
A Vistara spokesperson declined to comment on the resignations. The airline has approximately 800 pilots. Those who resigned had completed conversion training to operate wide-body Boeing 787 planes but were not assigned flying duties for these aircraft.
The airline, currently in the process of merging with Air India, introduced new contracts aiming to align pilot pay with Air India‘s standards. However, many Vistara pilots are protesting against reduced fixed compensation and additional flying-linked incentives with conditions.
Also Read | Why is Vistara cancelling flights? Top things we know so far
With crew shortages causing significant flight cancellations in recent weeks, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has directed Vistara to submit daily reports on flight disruptions. The civil aviation ministry is also monitoring the situation closely.
Vistara, operating over 300 daily flights domestically and internationally, has been facing disruptions with 60-70 flights affected daily, mainly due to crew unavailability.
There has been a surge in complaints on social media in the last few days regarding cancellations and delays. On Monday, the airline admitted to numerous flight disruptions, citing crew shortages among other factors.
While expressing concern over customer inconvenience, Vistara announced measures to mitigate disruptions. These include a temporary reduction in flight operations, deployment of larger aircraft like Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and Airbus A321neo on certain domestic routes to optimize capacity, and ensure continued connectivity across its network.
In recent weeks, the Tata Group-owned airline has faced discontent among pilots, particularly first officers of its A320 fleet reporting sick.Sources told PTI that the senior first officers who resigned have joined a domestic budget carrier.
A Vistara spokesperson declined to comment on the resignations. The airline has approximately 800 pilots. Those who resigned had completed conversion training to operate wide-body Boeing 787 planes but were not assigned flying duties for these aircraft.
The airline, currently in the process of merging with Air India, introduced new contracts aiming to align pilot pay with Air India‘s standards. However, many Vistara pilots are protesting against reduced fixed compensation and additional flying-linked incentives with conditions.
Also Read | Why is Vistara cancelling flights? Top things we know so far
With crew shortages causing significant flight cancellations in recent weeks, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has directed Vistara to submit daily reports on flight disruptions. The civil aviation ministry is also monitoring the situation closely.
Vistara, operating over 300 daily flights domestically and internationally, has been facing disruptions with 60-70 flights affected daily, mainly due to crew unavailability.
There has been a surge in complaints on social media in the last few days regarding cancellations and delays. On Monday, the airline admitted to numerous flight disruptions, citing crew shortages among other factors.
While expressing concern over customer inconvenience, Vistara announced measures to mitigate disruptions. These include a temporary reduction in flight operations, deployment of larger aircraft like Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and Airbus A321neo on certain domestic routes to optimize capacity, and ensure continued connectivity across its network.
