Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) directed Tata Group's full-service airline Vistara to submit a detailed report over repeated flight cancellations and several delays, ANI reported on Tuesday. Vistara is facing pre-merger turbulence with at least 38 flight cancellations on Tuesday morning, triggered by shortage of pilots. Several pilots have been calling in sick from mid-March after the airline decided to revise their salary structure that, according to the pilots, would lead to substantial decrease in their take-home pay.
About 15 flights from Mumbai, 12 from Delhi and 11 from Bengaluru were cancelled and multiple flights were delayed on Tuesday morning. Passengers took to social media to express frustration over the delays and cancellations.
Why have Vistara pilots called in sick?
Several Vistara pilots began taking sick leave en masse after the airline sent an email on March 15 telling the pilots to sign their new salary structure. As part of its merger with Air India, Vistara's employees will be put under Air India's pay system, which is likely to hamper their minimum assured flying pay. As per the Indian Express, pilots will now be assured of payment for 40 hours, a decrease from the previous 70 hours mentioned in their contracts with the airline.
Following the ultimatum in March, several pilots began taking sick leave, triggering flight cancellations and delays.
Vistara-Air India merger
Tata's plans to merge Vistara into Air India are expected to finalise by 2025. This marks a significant step in the ongoing consolidation of airlines within the Tata conglomerate.
The company has been orchestrating the merging of its budget airlines, Air India Express and AIX Connect (previously Air Asia India). Following both the mergers, the Air India group will encompass a comprehensive carrier, Air India, alongside a low-cost alternative, Air India Express.
