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Vistara Airlines management has convened a meeting with pilots On Wednesday to tackle the ongoing crisis regarding the pilot shortage, stemming from pay cuts implemented after new flying hours' regulations came into effect recently.
According to airline sources, "CEO Vinod Kannan, along with HR representatives, is scheduled to meet with pilots this afternoon to address these issues." Kannan is also in charge of integrating Vistara with Air India. The pilots are protesting a cut in their salaries post-merger with Air India. This week alone, Vistara has been forced to cancel over 100 flights due to the unavailability of pilots. A significant number of Vistara pilots have taken sick leave in mass following the announcement of new salary rules, which coincided with the merger with Air India. On Tuesday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) asked Vistara Airlines to submit daily reports about flight operations and follow the Civil Aviation Regulations (CAR). "In view of the various flight disruptions of M/s Vistara due to various reasons, including crew unavailability, DGCA has asked the airline to submit daily information and details on the flights that are being cancelled and delayed." The airline company is responsible for providing timely refunds to passengers and keeping them informed about flight status and timing. "The airline has also been asked to ensure that the relevant provisions of CAR Section-3, Series M, Part-IV on "Facilities to be provided to passengers by airlines due to denied boarding, cancellation of flights and delays in flights" are complied with, like advance information, an option of refund, compensation (if applicable), etc. to the passengers," DGCA said in a statement. Additionally, DGCA officials are monitoring the situation to ensure compliance of above mentioned CAR and minimise passenger inconvenience. The Airline in a statement on Tuesday had said "We have had a significant number of flight cancellations and delays in the past few days due to various reasons including crew unavailability. We acknowledge and are deeply concerned about the inconvenience this has caused to our customers.... We have decided to temporarily reduce the number of flights we operate, to ensure adequate connectivity across our network.... Furthermore, we are offering alternate flight options or refunds to affected customer, as applicable." (ANI)
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