The government is strongly considering the option of sacking all striking Air India union pilots if they don’t return to work soon, sources said, but added no decision has been taken yet, to give pilots ample time to return to work.
The civil aviation ministry on Monday set up a panel to identify international and domestic loss-making routes, and sources said some of these could be axed in future to cut costs.
Civil aviation minister Ajit Singh will meet top ministry and Air India officials on Tuesday to review measures to tackle the strike, which has completed three weeks. The Air India board also met Monday and discussed the ongoing strike, amid mounting financial losses.
So far 101 union pilots have been sacked. The Indian Pilots’ Guild, representing international-route pilots, which is behind the strike, has about 400 pilots. This means another 300 pilots could soon be dismissed if the strike doesn’t end soon. If that happens, more pilots will be recruited.