Over 50 AI pilots ‘released from service’ at one go

Over 50 AI pilots ‘released from service’ at one go

Sudipta.Sengupta@timesgroup.com

Hyderabad:15.08.2020

In what came as a shock to many, more than 50 Air India pilots were “released from their services” via an email, sent out by the management, close to midnight on Thursday.

According to employees, this is the first time that such a sizeable number of pilots — two from Hyderabad — have been shown the door by AI, on a single day. Several among those relieved, they added, tested positive for Covid-19 during execution of the Vande Bharat Mission.

All these pilots are staffers who tendered their resignations between 2019 and 2020 and later withdrew them for various reasons. The withdrawals were made before the lapse of the mandatory notice period.

In the letter (a copy of which is in TOI’s possession), AI stated that the “company is no longer accepting any withdrawal of resignation” while highlighting that the financial strain suffered by the national carrier owing to the pandemic, was another reason for not entertaining withdrawals.

While the AI spokesperson maintained that the pilots were not terminated but only relieved from duty, “on completion of their notice period” as they had earlier resigned “citing financial constraint and wanting to join private competitor airlines”, pilots termed the move “rash” and “illegal”.

Full report on www.toi.in