Vistara began flight operations in January 2015 (File).
New Delhi:
Vistara expects to resume normal flight operations by the weekend, company sources told WhatsNew2Day on Wednesday evening, hours after CEO Vinod Kannan and senior members of his management team held a virtual town hall with striking pilots.
Company sources said the pilots had been promised a course correction to allay concerns in the wake of Vistara’s merger with Air India. According to sources, this will include improved growth potential once the merger is completed, and better selection of pilots, which is expected to take place in May.
The pilots have been told that there will be opportunities to earn more after the merger.
Nearly 100 percent of pilots have now accepted the new contract, sources said, adding that no protest was raised by pilots during the virtual town hall.
Stressing the point that the crisis caused by pilot shortage is almost over, Vistara sources also said that only 24 flights were canceled today compared to the 52 affected yesterday.
The pilots have not yet released a statement from their side.
READ | Vistara CEO meets with pilots after dozens of flights are canceled
The airline had previously said it was experiencing a “significant number” of flight cancellations and delays “due to various reasons, including crew unavailability”. It also said it had decided to temporarily reduce the number of flights it operates “to ensure adequate connectivity across our network”.
“We acknowledge and are deeply concerned about the inconvenience this has caused to our customers. That said, our teams are working to minimize customer inconvenience,” the airline said.
Vistara pilots had called in sick in protest against the revised salary structure prior to the merger with Air India. The pilots received a revised pay structure by post and were asked to sign it at short notice. The pilots were also warned that those who did not sign would be left out of the merger.
READ | Inside Track of the Vistara crisis: why pilots reported sick en masse
Pilots have complained that their cost to the company (CTC) was reduced in the new contract, which mandates them to fly 40 hours instead of 70 hours previously. However, airline sources said that under the new structure, pilots were incentivized to fly more, and could in fact earn more than before.
The center is monitoring the situation and has sought daily reports from Vistara. Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had asked the airline to share the steps it is taking to address the inconvenience to passengers.
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