Union civil aviation minister Ajit Singh has promised that problems related to the Air India pilots would be sorted out within three months.
Mr Singh appealed to the pilots on strike to return to work and discuss their problems with the government instead of causing inconvenience to passengers. “If the airline does not survive, what will be the meaning of issues like salary, promotion and increment,” he asked.
The minister, who was here on Saturday to inaugurate a new terminal at Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport, assured that the government would not victimise pilots who are on strike. He said the Delhi high court had already declared the ongoing strike illegal and that the pilots must abide by the law.
Replying to a question, Mr Singh said the government had given a package of `30,000 crore for the revival of Air India but money alone would not make a difference. The airline has to be competitive and improve its service, he said. The on-going agitation has led to cancellations of international flight operations, particularly those to North America and Europe. The airline has also lost over `190 crore due to the agitation.
Mr Singh emphasised the need to develop the aviation sector in UP. He said UP had 16.1 per cent of the nation’s population but only two per cent of the total flights operating in the country. “Small planes should be introduced so that people from tier II and tier III cities can be connected to international flights via Lucknow,” he stated.