“Should a financially critical Air India, on Government support, succumb to such blackmail [by pilots]? Is the illegal strike by a section of the pilots justified? We seek your understanding and cooperation [of the problem],” reads an Air India advertisement seeing public support.

The Indian carrier decided to reach out to the public against the claimed ‘illegal strike' by a section of pilots that crippled the airline's operations across the country in the last five days.

Whether the airline's views are justified or not it is passengers who are suffering a lot.

“The management is at fault and is not coming with a positive proposal. While the airline says it is losing Rs 4 crore a day what the pilots are asking is Rs 3.5 crore a month. Passengers are stranded and paying 50-200 per cent more to fly in other airlines,” said Mr D. Sudhakara Reddy, National President, Air Passengers Association of India. “The issue is dragging beyond the imagination. Our country's image is at stake,” he told Business Line .

On the demand for higher emoluments by the pilots, Air India said that majority of them draw over Rs 3.88 lakh a month and up to Rs 7 lakh a month. This is besides other benefits, including free passages.

Over 10,000 passengers are stranded daily and over 40,000 inconvenienced so far. Despite the Delhi High Court declaring the strike as illegal and advised the striking pilots to join duty, the pilots have defied the High Court order. Since February, the management held more than 13 meetings, including conciliation meetings with Central Labour Commissioner.

Further, the Union Civil Aviation Minister met representatives of the pilots in March on various issues, including pay parity and this was referred to the Dharmadhikari Committee. The Air India management too issued order regarding other issues, and that no other issue was pending. The committee has started functioning and a report is expected shortly, the airline said.

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