Jet in the sky again

Jet back on runway: A Jet Airways aircraft on the tarmac, ready to take off at the Santacruz domestic airport terminal in Mumbai.

Pilots at the airline resumed work on Sunday, ending their five-day strike which caused chaos, left thousands of passengers stranded and the company in huge financial loss. (AP)

Let's fly: A Jet Airways flight attendant arrives for duty at the city airport in Mumbai.

Services on India's second-largest private airline resumed after the pilots ended their stir, the company said.

The airline said an 'amicable agreement' has been reached with the pilots who took mass sick leave on September 8 after the sacking of two senior pilots for setting up an unrecognised trade union. (AFP)

Will fly again: A Jet Airways aircraft sits on the tarmac at the domestic terminal of Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.

Over 400 pilots stayed away from work during the strike, forcing the airline to cancel hundreds of flights and leaving thousands of passengers stranded.

The end to the pilots' stir came after protracted negotiations, demands and counter-demands. (AFP)

Airborne: A Jet Airways aircraft takes off as ground staff chat at the domestic terminal of Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Sunday.

Jet Airways issued a press statement after the stalemate was resolved, following which all domestic as well as international flights resumed operations on Sunday. (AFP)

Set for take-off: A Jet Airways aircraft prepares for take off at the city airport in Mumbai on Sunday. In the course of the settlement, the Jet management decided to take back the four pilots who were sacked.

But in the five days of strike, the company has lost an estimated Rs 200 crore.

Nearly 500 pilots, who reported 'sick' for the last five days, decided to resume their duties after a nine-hour-long meeting with the airlines management in Mumbai on Saturday night. (AFP)

Clinching the deal: President of the Indian National Aviators Guild (NAG) Captain Girish Kaushik gestures as he speaks with the media in Mumbai.

In the deal announced at 2 am on Sunday morning, the pilots had to agree to a major compromise - giving up the National Aviators Guild. (AFP)

Man behind the deal: Executive Director of Jet Airways Saroj Datta met with the striking pilots on Saturday in Mumbai.

Though the deal was settled, the pilots did not get what they wanted. And Datta, a veteran in the aviation industry, is the reason behind it. It was he who brokered the deal with the pilots. (AFP)

Back to business: Jet Airways ground staff chat amongst themselves at the city airport in Mumbai.

Sources say there were murmurs of a division within the pilot community, especially younger recruits who were worried about a management crackdown.

Also in a shrinking aviation industry in a recession year, job concerns took priority over the formation over a union. (AFP)

Happy at last: Jet Airways ground staff hold roses presented by the management as a goodwill gesture at the city airport in Mumbai. Conciliation talks between Jet Airways pilots and the management ended the pilots' stir.

The talks saw a lot of hard bargaining by the two sides, especially over issues which had a larger impact on the employees of the private airline. (AFP)

Relief at last: Air travellers crowd the Jet Airways counter at the city airport in Mumbai.

The Jet management has decided to give 50 per cent discount on its flights to bring back customers after strike. This discount is likely to be given on domestic flights.

Jet's daily revenue of eight million dollars had dropped dramatically and the number of passengers came down from Rs 23,000 per day to Rs 7,500 during the five-day-long pilots' strike. (AFP)