Mumbai: A set of pilots from Indian Airlines who had been sent to London for training have been asked to return to India.  Their training for the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner was meant to start tomorrow.

However, this was challenged in the Bombay High Court by the Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) which represents pilots who were originally hired by Air India.  In 2007, Air India was merged with the other government carrier, Indian Airlines, with disastrous consequences.  The combo-airline has been entangled in a series  of strikes and financial mismanagement.

In the most recent case,  Air India pilots had challenged the management's decision to train an equal number of Air India and Indian Airlines pilots for the Dreamliner, which is scheduled to join the airline's fleet within the next few months.  In court today, the Indian Pilots Guild said it had  "informed the Chairman and Managing Director of Air India that this would be in violation of a Wage Agreement dated December 22, 2006."

The union believes that Indian Airlines pilots are not as experienced as those who flew with Air India.  The union says the management therefore has incorrectly stated that the flight crew for a Dreamliner should have one pilot from each airline.  Only Air India pilots should be used for these new aircraft, says the Indian Pilots Guild.

Tags: Air India pilots training, Boeing 787

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