The Indian carrier Jet Airways cancelled more flights from Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah yesterday as a strike by the airline's pilots spilt into its second day. Flights from Abu Dhabi to New Delhi, from Dubai to Hyderabad and from Sharjah to Cochin were cancelled. Flights from Dubai to Mumbai, New Delhi and Chennai continued as planned, allowing the airline to operate close to normalty in the UAE, said Rammohan Krishamaswamy, the company's Gulf and Middle East manager.
The airline alerted passengers of the cancellations through its website and automated SMS service, he said. "Most customers have been understanding and co-operative because they know that this was the first time in Jet Airways's 16-year history that something like this has happened," Mr Krishnaswamy said. The airline is embroiled in a dispute with its pilots over the firing of two of their colleagues, leading 350 pilots to stage what appeared to be a co-ordinated sick leave.
Three Jet flights from the UAE were cancelled on Tuesday, affecting about 200 passengers. The airline has operated other flights using contingency crews. New Delhi Television reported that 180 Jet flights had been cancelled yesterday, with a list released by the company including flights to and from Singapore, London, Hong Kong, Muscat and Bangkok. According to Associated Press, 13,000 passengers have been affected by the cancellations and have been offered rescheduled flights or refunds.
Mr Krishnaswamy said the situation was "evolving" and Jet Airways might return to a normal schedule as early as tomorrow. The company, whose main hub and maintenance centre is in Mumbai, was investigating the illness claims by pilots, he said, and had obtained an injunction from the Mumbai High Court declaring the strike illegal, since it occurred in the middle of negotiations between the pilots and the company.
Indian labour laws prohibit strikes during conciliation talks. kshaheen@thenational.ae
