Eight pilots quit Air India (AI) in two months after the airline failed to pay full salaries to them. A source in the airline said 15-20 more resignations were likely to be submitted as AI had not paid almost 80% of the total salary due to pilots in three months.

The pilots, all of whom are from the erstwhile Indian Airlines, struck work in April, protesting against the non-payment of salaries and demanding that their amounts should be brought on a par with that paid to AI pilots. They also wanted the government to take action against the policy decisions of the airline, a demand that the management and the government assured to work on. Even after the 10-day strike, the work environment had gone back to square one, said an airline official.

"There have been eight resignations since the strike ended on May 7. For the past three months, pilots have not been paid their full salaries," said a senior airline official. "More are ready to quit if the scene doesn't improve."

The salary of a former Indian Airline pilot is broken into two components. The basic constitutes 20% of the total amount, while the rest comprises Performance Linked Incentives (PLI). "The basic salary has been paid but the PLI for three months is awaited," said a senior pilot. "The remuneration due for the Libya evacuation flights and VVIP operations is also pending." The pilot added that they were the only ones in the entire country who were paid PLIs, while their counterparts earned fixed monthly amounts.

TOI