Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh restated his willingness to take back the sacked pilots provided they call off their agitation unconditionally and return to work. Speaking to reporters in Mumbai yesterday, Mr. Singh said that the pilots can be taken back on a case-to-case basis if they call off the strike and come to the negotiation table. On the question of hiring new pilots, Mr. Singh said the Air India management will take a call on how many commanders they need and then proceed accordingly.
The Air India strike entered its 46th day today. About 400 Air-India pilots under the banner of the Indian Pilots Guild are agitating due to the rescheduling of Boeing 787 Dreamliner training and matters relating to their career progression.