Vistara sees significant flight cancellations; to cut operations due to non-availability of pilots

MUMBAI: Vistara will temporarily reduce flight operations due to non-availability of pilots as many first officers have been reporting sick to protest against pay revision, a development that forced the full-service carrier to cancel up to 50 flights on Monday, according to sources.The sources in the know said that more flights are expected to be cancelled on Tuesday and the number could go up to 70.A Vistara spokesperson said the airline had a significant number of flight cancellations and delays in the past few days due to various reasons, including crew unavailability.”We have decided to temporarily reduce the number of flights we operate, to ensure adequate connectivity across our network,” the spokesperson said in a statement.The airline apologized for the disruptions but did not provide details on the number of flight cancellations.The spokesperson also said efforts are being made to stabilize the situation and that operations at regular capacity will resume very soon.The sources said Vistara has been facing pilot issues since the revision in monthly emoluments for first officers of its A320 fleet following signing of new contracts.The spokesperson said teams are working towards minimizing the discomfort to the customers.We have decided to temporarily reduce the number of flights we operate, to ensure adequate connectivity across our network.Further, the airline has deployed larger aircraft like B787-9 Dreamliner and A321neo on select domestic routes to combine flights or accommodate more number of customers, wherever possible.



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