A labour action that grounded hundreds of Jet Airways flights for five days ended yesterday and service was rapidly returning to normal, the company announced. Hundreds of pilots had called in sick, causing havoc for the airline, following the dismissals of several colleagues accused of acting against the interests of the Indian airline, which serves a number of international destinations, including Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
The dispute was settled after 10 hours of negotiations at the weekend. Shakir Kantawala, the general manager of Jet Airways for Dubai and the northern emirates, confirmed: "The entire issue was resolved amicably." The pilots who had been fired while trying to join the newly formed National Aviators Guild have been reinstated, and The Times of India reported that the company had agreed to create a consultative group to resolve the pilot's issues.
According to newspapers in India, almost 100 pilots reported fit for duty yesterday in Mumbai, while Mr Kantawala said flights to and from the UAE were expected to be operating according to their regular schedules by yesterday evening. He added that local passengers affected by the disruption had been transferred to other flights and airlines. India's Press Information Bureau reported that during the dispute the country's Directorate General of Civil Aviation wrote to private airlines to request that they maintain their normal price structure. There were reports that some had been taking advantage of the disruption to increase their fares dramatically.
According to the Bloomberg news agency, more than 1,000 flights were cancelled as a result of the pilots' action at a cost to the airline of US$2.2 million (Dh8.1m) in revenue. A statement released by the Mumbai-based carrier yesterday said: "Chairman Naresh Goyal personally and sincerely conveys his deepest apology to the airline's most valued customers. "Moreover, he greatly appreciated their patience when the staff of Jet Airways with tears in their eyes had to transfer them to other airlines."
jgerson@thenational.ae
