Air India ‘temporarily suspends’ contracts of 61 senior pilots

Saurabh Sinha@timesgroup.com

04.04.2020

New Delhi: As part of costsaving measures to minimise the impact of the coronavirus pandemic that brutally hit the country’s aviation sector, Air India earlier this week “temporarily suspended” the post-retirement contracts of 61 senior pilots. The retirement age in Air India is 58, but many pilots beyond that age are re-hired on contract. Pilots can operate commercial flights till they turn 65.

The 61 pilots include Sharan Devi, who had operated the Indian Airlines’ flight IC 814 in December 1999 that was hijacked from Kathmandu in Nepal on its way to New Delhi. Even Captain S H Reza, one of the four pilots who operated the first of the two special jumbo jets sent to Wuhan on January 31 and February 1 to fly out stranded Indians from the coronavirus hotspot in China. He also received a formal appreciation letter from the government for this.

Two years ago, AI retained on contract the IC 814 commander, who for the past eight years has been flying the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Sharan refused to comment on the issue as he is “not authorised to speak to the media.”

A senior pilot who has flown with him said: “At 60, we have five years of flying left. Hopefully things will get resolved and there will be a full recovery that will see us back in the flight deck.”

A large number of airlines are on the verge of closure with their fleets grounded. All airlines are taking similar steps to cut costs and somehow survive the Covid-19 crisis.

Other pilots on AI’s list of 61re-hired-on-retirement, too, are understandably upset.

COST-CUTTING: The retirement age in Air India is 58, but many pilots beyond that age are re-hired on contract. Pilots can operate commercial flights till they turn 65