Vistara crisis: More flights canceled on Thursday; efforts continue to address pilots’ concerns – Airlines/Aviation News

Vistara proceeded with flight cancellations on Thursday as the Tata Group works to address pilot issues, while fares surged in a few routes due to cancellations, as per sources and travel industry executives.

A day after, Vinod Kannan, Vistara CEO, apologised to pilots regarding the issues and assured them of taking necessary steps to resolve them, the airline experienced cancellations of around 20 flights.

The number of flight cancellations on Thursday was in the double digits, but it was fewer than 26 cancellations observed on Wednesday, indicating an improving situation, the sources said.

Vistara, which usually operates over 300 flights daily in the summer schedule, has chosen to temporarily reduce its operations.

Two pilots’ groups asserted on Thursday that the concerns voiced by Vistara pilots are not isolated incidents but rather indicative of systemic issues across Tata Group aviation entities.

In a comprehensive letter addressed to Tata Group Chairman N Chandrasekaran, the Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association (ICPI) and the Indian Pilots’ Guild (IPG) appealed the group for constructive engagement with the pilot community.

The Tata Group operates four airline ventures: Air India Express, Air India, Vistara and AIX Connect (previously known as AirAsia India)

The IPG represents Air India pilots who operate the airlines’ wide-body fleet, while the ICPA represents pilots who operate the single-aisle aircraft.

What steps were taken earlier?

Earlier, the aviation regulator, DGCA, requested the full-service carrier to provide a daily report on delays and flight cancellations.

In a virtual meeting with pilots on Wednesday, Vistara’s top management officials discussed several issues, including concerns over rostering and pay revision.

Due to the flight cancellations, travel industry executives have reported an increase in fares on certain routes.

Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) President Jyoti Mayal stated that fares have increased by 10-20 percent on routes where flights have been cancelled.