Vistara Airlines has canceled and delayed many of its scheduled flights due to the shortage of available pilots and crew. It is being said that the airline company called off over 100 of its flights or put them on hold in the last week. Following the cancellation of 50 air journeys on Monday, it is expected to cancel around 60 of them on Tuesday as well. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has demanded a detailed report from the company, seeking necessary reasons for the unavailability of its flights or delays in them.
In addition to MoCA’s orders, DGCA has asked for regular reports on the delayed and canceled flights and updates from Vistara. It said “The airline has also been asked to ensure that facilities are provided to passengers by airlines due to denied boarding, cancellation of flights, and delays in flights. Officials are also monitoring the situation to ensure compliance.”
Working on reducing discomfort caused by the company to its customers, the Vistara spokesperson said that it is working incessantly to compensate them. They also said that they had deployed larger aircraft such as their B787-9 Dreamliner and A321neo to accommodate more civilians wherever possible. These aircraft have been deployed on selected domestic routes. Besides combining flights and accommodating more customers, Vistara has provided alternative flight options or refunds to affected customers.
“Once again, we understand that these disruptions have caused immense discomfort to our customers, and sincerely apologize to them for the same. We are working towards stabilizing the situation and will resume operating our regular capacity very soon,” the airline’s spokesperson said.
The Reason Behind Vistara’s Canceled and Delayed Flights
There is a big reason behind the poor functioning of the Indian airline. The significant “crew unavailability” can be attributed to Vistara’s possible merger with Tata’s other flagship airline company- Air India. The merger is set to take place in 2025. Vistara pilots have reportedly sought sick leave due to the company’s introduction of a revised salary policy. Several first officers have expressed their dissatisfaction with the new salary structure. The revised plan suggests that pilots would be paid a salary for 40 hours against the initial 70-hour policy, and this revision would be applicable from the new financial year.
Several Vistara pilots went on sick leaves in the first week of March, and since then the airline’s operations have taken a slow turn in the Delhi and Mumbai city airports. “The sick leaves don’t carry over into the new financial year. Consequently, many pilots opted to take their leaves simultaneously, leading to disruptions in flight operations,” sources said. In light of these actions being practiced by the Vistara staff, the company’s management has issued an ultimatum asking the pilots to accept the new pay structure or quit the one-time payout.
About the Airline
Vistara started operations in India on January 9, 2015. The airline is a joint venture between Tata Sons Private Limited and Singapore Airlines Limited (SIA). The airline took its first trip from Delhi to Mumbai. Vistara provides connectivity with 50 destinations in and outside India with its 67 remarkable aircraft including 51 Airbus A32neo, 10 Airbus A321neo, and 6 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
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