Air India on Tuesday said that it has not received any formal intimation about its pilots going on strike. Civil Aviation Minister Vyalar Ravi also said, the Centre is looking into the demands of Air India pilots. Talking to reporters in New Delhi today, the Minister said that the management is taking all possible measures to resolve the crisis in the wake of their call for a strike. Air India officials told AIR that there are some differences between the pilots from erstwhile Indian Airlines and Air India about the training programme for pilots to fly the Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The new planes are being inducted in the national carrier next month. The Minister said, discussions are continuing with the pilots.

AIR correspondent reports, some Air India pilots belonging to the Indian Pilots Guild, IPG, are opposing the management’s decision to meet the training requirements of Boeing 787 by giving 50 per cent seats to pilots from the former Indian Airlines.

An Air India Spokesman said that ten international flights of the Air India Express were cancelled today with more than twenty pilots reporting sick. He however said that a contingency plan is in place. The spokesman said that flight operations will not be affected and all precautions are being taken to avoid any inconvenience to the passengers.