Vistara pilot crisis: Several scheduled Vistara flights were delayed and cancelled on Monday after pilots and many first officers reported sick to protest against a proposed new salary structure. The revised monthly emoluments issue has surfaced ahead of airline's decision to merge with Air India, reports said.
The airline has been facing the issue of non-availability of pilots and first officers since the revision in monthly emoluments of its A320 fleet following signing of new contracts.
According to sources, Vistara has temporarily reduced flight operations due to non-availability of pilots as many first officers have been reporting sick to protest against pay revision, in wake of airline's merger with Air India.
Vistara spokesperson said the airline had a significant number of flight cancellations and delays in the past few days due to various reasons, including crew unavailability.
"We have decided to temporarily reduce the number of flights we operate, to ensure adequate connectivity across our network," the spokesperson said in a statement.
Vistara Airlines a joint venture of Tata and SIA Airlines
Private carrier Vistara Airlines is a joint venture of Tata and SIA Airlines. On Monday, it said that in light of crew unavailability and other factors, the airline has experienced a notable uptick in cancellations and delays.
“We have had a significant number of flight cancellations and delays in the past few days due to various reasons, including crew unavailability. We acknowledge this and are deeply concerned about the inconvenience caused to our customers," he added.
The spokesperson also said that the airline is working towards minimising the discomfort to the customers.
"We have decided to temporarily reduce the number of flights we operate to ensure adequate connectivity across our network. We have also deployed larger aircraft like B787-9 Dreamliner and A321neo on select domestic routes to combine flights or accommodate more number of customers, wherever possible," the airline said.
"Also, we are offering alternate flight options or refunds to the affected customers, as applicable. We understand that these disruptions have caused immense discomfort to our customers, and we sincerely apologise to them for the same," it added.
"We are working towards stabilising the situation and will resume operating at our regular capacity very soon," the airline said.
With inputs from agencies
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