Air India stops bookings for US, Europe till May 15; 9 more pilots sacked

New Delhi/Mumbai, May 10 (PTI) Crisis-hit Air India today stopped bookings for the US, Canada and Europe-bound flights till May 15 as it sacked nine more pilots on day three of their agitation which led to cancellation of over 20 flights and left hundreds of passengers fuming. With over 200 pilots owing allegiance to the Indian Pilots Guild refusing to join duty, Air India said it was suspending its international bookings to New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Toronto, London, Paris and Frankfurt. Some other foreign destinations are also likely to be affected. Air India sacked nine more pilots taking the number of pilots whose services have been terminated to 45. While 10 pilots, mostly office bearers of the Indian Pilots Guild (IPG), were dismissed on Tuesday, another 26 were shown the door yesterday. The management of the state-owned Indian carrier has also derecognised IPG. Showing no signs of relenting, the IPG asserted that the the Air India management must withdraw the sack orders and till then there was no question of resuming work. "It is a matter of life and death and career for the pilots. Talks were held by IPG with AI management which did not honour its commitments. The management is having a non-serious attitude towards our grievances,'" Jitendra Awhad, IPG president, told reporters. Over 20 Air India flights were cancelled today from Delhi and Mumbai. From Delhi flights to Frankfurt, Shanghai, Toronto, New Jersey, Chicago and Seoul were cancelled while Air India flights to New York, Riyadh and Shanghai were not operating from Mumbai. Air India daily operates about 50 international flights and 400 domestic flights. India's Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said, "If they (pilots) are not willing to follow the court order, why would they listen to me. They have to decide to follow the High Court order. That's the law but they are not willing to do so. What can we do." Singh, however, reaffirmed government's readiness to hold talks with the pilots and hoped that they would abide by the High Court order which held their stir as illegal. Holding the interests of the airline and the passengers as of paramount interest, the Minister said, "They must make sure that Air India does not lose credibility." The Delhi High Court had yesterday held the strike as illegal and barred the pilots from resorting to sick leave and staging demonstrations. The pilots protesting against rescheduling of Boeing 787 Dreamliner training and matters relating to their career progression have remained defiant.PTI