The pilot unions of Air India have raised their voices against a shortage of pilots and long work hours. They have also demanded the restoration of pre-Covid overtime allowance. “We cannot assure that our members will undertake flying duties exceeding 70 hours a month. Any coercive steps by the management will lead to industrial action to safeguard flight safety and the well-being of our members,” the Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association and the Indian Pilots’ Guild said in a joint letter to the Air India’s management.

A copy of the letter is available with The Telegraph. The unions said the pilots have flown over 90 hours per month on all fleets, which exceed the 70-hours-per-month industry norm.

This raises the question of passenger safety due to pilot exhaustion. The pilots have also alleged that the Air India management has been denying and cancelling leaves and that they are being punished with pay cuts for the months they fall sick, avail of leave or undergo training.

They noted that they can no longer sacrifice their quality of life, work-life balance and long-term health. Air India declined to comment on the issue. The unions have also objected to the proposed hiring of foreign pilots, offering them better leave benefits, and “secret incentives” being offered to several employees but none to non-executive pilots.

The letter pointed out that the pilots were unhappy that they were not being paid the pre-Covid pay structure, while the airline was recruiting expat pilots for 777 fleets at an 80 per cent higher CTC than current long-serving pilots.

The IPG-ICPA union said it “vehemently” opposes the “discrimination” against Indian pilots. According to reports, the carrier has contacted several organisations that help airlines find expat flight crew in order to hire about 100 pilots for its wide-bodied Boeing 777 fleet.