At least 18 domestic flights of Air India were cancelled on Friday as over 40 pilots reported for duty but did not fly planes to protest severe delays in payment of allowances, with the government saying it would take steps to resolve the issue.

However, all international flights, including the long-haul ones to places like London, New York, Toronto and Chicago, were on schedule, an Air India spokesperson told PTI.

But confusion prevailed at the airport here with large number of passengers queueing up at Air India counters to find the status of their flights as several domestic flights were delayed and some others combined.

The agitating pilots reported for duty but said they were under stress due to the financial problems and, therefore, unable to undertake flight duties, airline sources said, as the pilots' union, Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), appealed to the agitators to return to work.

Top ICPA leaders met the airline management in Delhi, where 22 pilots reported being 'under stress' and not undertaking flight duties.

Protesting non-payment of their salary and allowances, a section of Air India pilots had yesterday decided to go on "no-pay-no-work" agitation from midnight last night.

The pilots claimed that flying allowances, which constitute 80 per cent of their salary, were not being paid since last August.

Reacting to the agitation, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said, "They (pilots) have not sent a notice but some have reported sick. Some disruption is there in Delhi but nothing has happened anywhere else. The employees have a problem, they have not been paid for one-two months. Allowances have not been paid for quite a few months now. We understand their problem but Air India's finances are in a bad condition. Their accounts were frozen yesterday."

Maintaining that he would meet Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee next week, Singh said, "By the end of next week, may be we will be able to pay...I won't say all the allowances and salaries will be paid but most of it should be paid."

Emphasising that Air India had a long term financial problem, he said, "We are worried about the employees. Any employee who does not get paid for months, we can understand their problem. We are working to resolve the short term problem. We hope by the end of next week, these should be resolved".

The pilots had last evening held meetings in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai to work out the mode of their agitation to press for early payment of their dues of salaries and allowances for the past five months.

Flying allowances make up about 80 per cent of their total salary, the payments for which have not been made since last August. The ICPA has appealed to the agitating cockpit crew to return to work and asked the management to take steps to resolve the pending demands, including payment of allowances.

"As ICPA, we are trying to contain the situation and are requesting the pilots to fly," ICPA spokesperson told PTI.

"But we feel that the management should ensure that unstressed pilots sit in the cockpit to fly an aircraft safely," he said, indicating that the demands of the agitating pilots be met and the ICPA has faith in the management.

Air India employees are disappointed with the government for "dragging its feet" on the revival of Air India, the spokesperson said.