Air India crisis continues, 14 more flights cancelled

The agitation by Air India pilots entered its seventh day on Monday with the management cancelling 14 international outbound flights, also throwing domestic operations into disarray, an official said. "We have cancelled around 14 flights for the day. The contingency plan will be implemented within two or three days whereby a guaranteed minimum international operations will be operated," a senior Air India official with the Operations Arm told reporters. "We are monitoring the situation and informing the passengers in advance." Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh had Sunday regretted the move by the government to merge the erstwhile Indian Airlines and Air India and had said there should have been due diligence. Trouble started for the airline May 8 when pilots belonging to Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) took mass sick leave protesting the move to provide Boeing-787 Dreamliner training to pilots from the erstwhile Indian Airlines.