21 Vistara pilots resign amid pay dispute

Vistara is currently in the process of merging with Air India. FILE PIC

During the ongoing protests by Vistara pilots regarding pay revisions, airline sources disclosed that at least 21 senior first officers have recently left the company. Vistara, with a fleet of 70 aircraft, including A320-family planes and Boeing 787s operates approximately 300 flights daily. In recent weeks, the Tata Group-owned airline has encountered pilot dissatisfaction, particularly among the first officers of its A320 fleet, who have been reporting sick.

Concerns have been raised by experts regarding possible violations of flight duty time limitations (FDTL) due to staffing shortages, raising concerns about passenger safety. According to sources, the airline employs around 800 pilots. Those who resigned had undergone conversion training to operate wide-body Boeing 787 planes but were not assigned flying duties for these aircraft.

The issue

The airline, currently in the process of merging with Air India, introduced new contracts aiming to align pilot pay with Air India's standards. However, many Vistara pilots are protesting against reduced fixed compensation and additional flying-linked incentives with conditions. With crew shortages causing significant flight cancellations, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has directed Vistara to submit daily reports on flight disruptions. The civil aviation ministry is also monitoring the situation closely.

Vistara, operating over 300 daily flights domestically and internationally, has been facing disruptions with 60-70 flights affected daily, mainly due to crew unavailability. Today (4th April) the number is down to 26 flights cancelled while many flights have been delayed. There has been a surge in complaints with the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and on social media in the last few days regarding cancellations and delays. On Tuesday, the airline admitted to numerous flight disruptions, citing crew shortages, among other factors.

While expressing concern over customer inconvenience, Vistara announced measures to mitigate disruptions. These include a temporary reduction in flight operations, and deployment of larger aircraft like Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and Airbus A321neo on certain domestic routes to optimise capacity and ensure continued connectivity across its network.

Experts raise concerns

"Airlines incur additional costs due to extended turnaround times and reduced operational efficiency. If the delay is massive due to a cascading effect, the airlines have to bear the costs of getting in a fresh cabin and cockpit crew as there are restrictions on the number of hours an individual can be on flight duty," said Adv Vashvant Shenoy, an aviation rights activist.

Another Aviation expert, said, "The ongoing pilot protests and resignations at Vistara, coupled with crew shortages, raise serious concerns about flight safety and operational disruptions. The airline must address these issues promptly to ensure safe and reliable operations. FDTL violations are possible so that airlines make sure fewer flights are cancelled but it increases the chances of errors caused due to pilot fatigue making a way for a sure disaster due to lack of judgement in a fatigued state of mind."

60-70
No of Vistara flights affected daily