Air India cancels 71 services as pilot strike continues

Air India cancelled 71 of its 320 services on 28-Apr-2011 as its pilot strike entered a second day (PTI/TNN/Hindustan Times/Economic Times/IANS/Business Standard/Gulf Times/Deccan Herald/Dow Jones/Channel News Asia/Asian Age/Times of India/The Hindu/Bloomberg, 29-Apr-2011). Air India cancelled 39 arrivals and 54 departures on 28-Apr-2011 from Delhi and 34 departures from Mumbai. Around 830 pilots are now part of the strikes which have affected more than 10,000 passengers. The strike was initiated by members of the Indian Commercial Pilots Association, representing erstwhile Indian Airlines employees. Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi stated ICPA has around 800 members, while the carrier had 1794 pilots as of Mar-2011. Meanwhile, international services have also been affected, as around 200 management pilots joined the strike and 69 reported sick. Services are expected to be affected over the weekend.