Aviation safety regulator DGCA cracked the whip on Vistara, embroiled in a standoff with its pilots over a new pay structure ahead of the merger with Air India, after it cancelled 61 flights on Tuesday.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered the airline to submit daily figures of flight cancellations and delays. It has also said it will be monitoring the situation to ensure the airline complies with regulations on refunds and compensation for affected passengers.
After witnessing 49 flight cancellations on Monday as a section of pilots reported sick, the airline announced it will “temporarily reduce the number of flights” to minimise inconvenience to passengers. It acknowledged the recent cancellations and delays were due to “crew unavailability”.
Tensions were brewing between the pilots and the management since mid-February, when the airline announced that Air India’s new pay structure would also apply to Vistara pilots which would result in a pay cut of ₹80,000 to ₹1 lakh for First Officers (or junior pilots). This resulted in an average of 10-15 flights being cancelled daily.
Pilot sources have also flagged rostering ‘malpractices’ where backdated changes are made to a pilot’s roster to show they were given adequate rest and weekly offs in compliance with regulations. They also blamed laggard training which had led to a longer time frame for releasing trainees for flying resulting in an artificial shortage.
