In the last 48 hours, Vistara has cancelled around 130 flights and faced delays in more than 190 flights! This crisis has left hundreds of passengers stranded and worried about the operational reliability of Vistara. As per the airline, these delays and cancellations are due to “crew unavailability” in their staff. Reportedly, however, the airline staff is calling in sick due to Vistara’s new pay structure that was announced recently.
Vistara Cancels Over 130 Flights In Two Days Due To “Crew Unavailability”
Vistara is currently facing a crisis. As per reports, the airline cancelled 80 and 50 flights on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, this week. They even faced delays in more than 190 flights during the last 48 hours. It is likely that they’ll announce more delays and cancellations on their scheduled flights for today as well. According to Vistara, this issue is due to “crew unavailability.”
To “ensure adequate connectivity across its network”, Vistara has already decided to “temporarily reduce the number of scheduled flights” on April 1. This entire fiasco has left hundreds of passengers stranded and worried. Observing it all, the Union Civil Aviation Ministry has stepped in. They have asked the airline to give a detailed report on the entire situation. Also, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has directed Vistara to submit daily information and details on the flight statuses.
Here’s what the airline had to say on the entire matter, “We have had a significant number of flight cancellations and delays in the past few days due to various reasons including crew unavailability. We acknowledge and are deeply concerned about the inconvenience this has caused to our customers. Having said that, our teams are working towards minimising the discomfort to the customers.
We have decided to temporarily reduce the number of flights we operate, to ensure adequate connectivity across our network. We have also deployed larger aircraft like our B787-9 Dreamliner and A321neo on select domestic routes to combine flights or accommodate more customers, wherever possible. Furthermore, we are offering alternate flight options or refunds to affected customers, as applicable. Once again, we understand that these disruptions have caused immense discomfort to our customers, and sincerely apologise to them for the same. We are working towards stabilising the situation and will resume operating our regular capacity very soon.”
Also Read: After Flights Delays And Cancellations, DGCA Directs Vistara To Submit Daily Updates
Why Are Vistara Flights Getting Delayed & Cancelled?
Coming to the big question, what is causing this crisis in Vistara? As per reports, the airline staff is protesting against the company’s new pay structure. Recently, Vistara revised its salary structure. The move comes ahead of its merger with Air India. What angered the staff was that there was a significant pay cut in this new structure. According to the revised contracts for pilots in Vistara, the company mentions that “pilots are slated to receive a fixed salary for 40 hours of flying” which is way less than their previous arrangement of 70 hours. This meant the pilots would be taking a notable cut – more than 50% for some – in their salaries.
That’s not it, the pilots were then warned, via email, that they would be losing a one-time payout, their place in the sequence for upgrade, and their elimination from the merged entity in case they failed to accept the new contract. This led to many pilots calling in sick and ultimately, the cancellation of more than 130 flights!
We hope that Vistara is able to contain the crisis soon and the staff is paid fairly. What’s your take on this entire fiasco? Let us know in the comments!
Cover Image Courtesy: Instagram/vistara & Canva