Air India, India’s national flag carrier, has teamed with Sabre Airline Solutions to achieve operational efficiencies in key airline functions in a bid to be more cost efficient.
The cockpit of an Air India flight was left unmanned after pilots and cabin crew were involved in a brawl at 30,000ft after a stewardess accused a co-pilot of molesting her. Crew members traded punches in full view of 106 passengers, and at one point the pilot threatened to emergency land the Airbus A320.
Air India executive pilots have called off their four-day-old strike following Government assurance that their salaries will not be cut and a status quo will prevail on cost cutting measures relating to productivity-linked incentive (PLI).
As strike action by Air India Executive pilots enters the fourth day, the airline has been forced to cancel more than 20 flights, including 15 from the national capital, as well as suspending bookings for the next 15 days.
From 15 September, frequent flyers on Singapore Airlines and Air India can
enjoy greater choice and value for money, thanks to a new bilateral frequent
flyer programme agreement between the two carriers.
Some 20,000 employees of Air India have begun a three-day hunger strike over plans to cut their pay. The protest comes as the debt-ridden national carrier plans a series of drastic cost-cutting measures, which include productivity-linked bonuses by up to 50 percent.
The Indian government has thrown struggling national carrier Air India a lifeline by offering a financial aid package on condition it undertakes a “massive cost reduction” programme.The offer by prime minister Manmohan Singh follows his meeting with the airline’s new chairman and managing director, Arvid Jadhav.
Air India said it is looking to cut Rs5bn ($103m) in staffing costs, about 17 percent of its total wage bill, and desperately needs a government bail-out as it battles for survival.Arvind Jadhav, the recently appointed chairman and managing director, said the Indian national carrier had reached “the moment of truth”, and need to cuts about 17 percent of its total wage bill.
The Boeing Company and Air India today celebrated the delivery of the airline’s first 777-200LR Worldliner airplane.