Govt owned Alliance Air faces flight cancellations after pilots go on strike

Amid Delhi Airport dealing with a large number stranded Germany bound passengers due to Lufthansa pilot strike, a section of pilots of Alliance Air went on strike on Friday over salary issues, resulting in the cancellation of some flights, according to sources. Alliance Air, which is owned by the government, operates ATR planes. As per PTI sources, a section of the pilots has gone on strike, protesting against salary issues. One of the demands is the restoration of pilots' salaries to the pre-COVID level.

When contacted, an Alliance Air spokesperson said the airline will be issuing a statement soon. In the wake of the pandemic, the salaries were cut by 60 per cent and till now, the pay has not been fully restored, one of the sources said. According to the sources, the management will be soon discussing the issues related to the salaries of pilots.

As per its website, Alliance Air connects 48 destinations within India with 100 departures per day, while Pre-COVID, the airline was flying to 62 destinations. The carrier air has 18 ATR 72-600 aircraft in service.

Earlier today, around 700 passengers were left stranded at Terminal 3 of the IGI airport after the German air carrier Lufthansa cancelled two of its flights because of a pilots' strike. Many people returning at the conclusion of the summer vacation would be impacted by Lufthansa's announcement that 800 flights will be cancelled. Eurowings, the airline's low-cost carrier, will not be impacted, it claimed.