British Airways cabin crew on Monday launched the first five-day strike as some flights were disrupted and cancelled.
The first strike, which will last till May 28, caused cancellation of about 40 per cent long-haul flights and more than 50 per cent short-haul flights from the Heathrow Airport. However, the airline is operating two flights daily to Mumbai and Delhi and one flight each to Chennai and Bangalore daily from London. The daily flight from London to Hyderabad has been cancelled.
Flights to Europe, especially to Milan, Athens, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Rome, Vienna, Prague, Munich, Dusseldorf and Warsaw, were mainly affected.
The talks between Unite, the union which represents BA cabin crew, and the airlines management collapsed on Sunday and the union has warned that it will go ahead with the other two five-day strikes between May 30 and June 4 and June 5 and 9.
“Our operations around the world have got off to a good start. The numbers of cabin crew reporting at Heathrow are currently at the levels we need to operate our published schedule.
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Indian attack: Oz man let off with light term
Melboune : An Australian youth, who pleaded guilty to recklessly causing serious injury to an Indian student-cum-cabbie two years ago, has escaped with a light punishment despite the court being told that he “hated” Indians and the attack could have been “racially inspired”.
Murat Kilinc, 22, was awarded three years jail term by county court judge Joseph Gullaci who, however, said he was not satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the attack was racially motivated or pre-planned.
According to the case, the accused had attacked the 23-year-old Indian after hiring his taxi in Campbellfield in Melbourne’s west on February 16, 2008. The latter suffered a broken nose, jaw, cheekbones and a skull fracture.
Juge Gullaci said he was unable to be satisfied whether the attack was preplanned or had happened after Kilinc and another passenger intended to evade the fare, reports the Age daily.
Last week, psychologist Rachael Freeland had told the court that Kilinc’s attack might have “subconsciously” been inspired by racial motives and that he hated Indians. Kilinc, unemployed, had also pleaded guilty to recklessly causing serious injury to the Indian student. —PTI