airline faced massive disruption with 4,500 flight cancellations due to scheduling issues. The move follows meetings between executives and pilots at various bases,
as the airline also faces pressure from foreign airlines trying to recruit their pilots.
The airline is increasing several key benefits for its pilots, including captains getting up to Rs 3,000 instead of Rs 2,000 for stopovers while first officers will get Rs 1,500 (instead of Rs 1,000), sources cited by PTI revealed. For deadhead trips, where the crew travels as passengers to their next duty, captains will receive 4,000 rupees (instead of 3,000 rupees) and first officers will receive 2,000 rupees, an increase of 500 rupees.
The changes affect IndiGo’s approximately 5,000 pilots and come at a critical time. The airline, which controls 65 percent of India’s domestic
market, is under close watch from regulators. A special committee has already submitted its report on the recent flight cancellations to the Civil Aviation Ministry.
Additionally, Moody’s Ratings has warned that the airline could face “significant financial harm” through lost revenue, refunds to customers and possible government penalties following the cancellations, as cited by Reuters.
The airline also faces a larger industry challenge. Foreign airlines are luring Indian pilots with better pay and lifestyle packages. According to Reuters, this has become a problem as the government is now promoting a code of conduct for pilot recruitment internationally.
The recent mass cancellations earlier this month caused chaos at airports and left many passengers stranded in India across the country.
The mass cancellations earlier this month caused major chaos at airports and left thousands of passengers stranded across India. Despite the airline’s dominance in the domestic market, this incident has sparked both a regulatory review and a competition investigation.
