Summary
- Vistara pilots resist recent pay structures ahead of the Air India merger, facing potential pay cuts of as much as 57%.
- Some concerns include decreased flying hours and difficulty in paying off training loans.
- Vistara recently faced disruptions in operations reportedly because of pilot mass leave, impacting flights for as much as per week.
As Vistara moves closer to its eventual merger with Air India, it also has the duty of transitioning its employees to the brand new airline, including a brand new salary structure for its pilots. However the full-cost carrier’s cockpit crew is reportedly not completely satisfied with the changes within the restructured monthly compensation, resulting in some resistance.
Vistara tells pilots to simply accept recent salary structure
With several reports circulating within the last several days about Vistara pilots being dissatisfied with the brand new salary structure, the airline reportedly gave them a deadline on March 15 to simply accept it by end of day.
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It’s believed that the brand new pay structure following the airline’s merger with Air India will result in a decrease of greater than 50% in pay for some pilots. Some first officers have said that under the brand new deal, pilots will get a minimum guaranteed flying of 40 hours after business integration versus 70 hours in the present contract.
Captains and senior captains will see their guaranteed flight hours reduced to 52-55 hours and 55-60 hours, respectively. For some pilots, this might reportedly lead to a pay cut of as much as 57%.
Another concerns of pilots include a bond when a few of them moved from former AirAsia India to Vistara against a loan of around $10,000 for training purposes. They are saying that with the brand new salary structure, it could be difficult to repay this debt.
The Hindu reports that some Airbus A320 first officers even have concerns over their transition to widebody aircraft and the way it would affect their upgrade to the post of captain, potentially delaying the method.
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Mass sick leave earlier this month
The dissatisfaction amongst Vistara pilots over the revised pay structure has apparently been brewing for a while now. Earlier this month, the airline’s operations were affected after several pilots reportedly took mass leave.
Vistara needed to cancel and delay many flights, with a cascading effect on flight operations lasting as much as per week. The airline acknowledged the delays but said it was not because of pilots’ leave. The Economic Times quoted a Vistara spokesperson as saying,
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Vistara-Air India merger
Vistara and Air India are steadily heading towards business integrations, with the ultimate process expected to be accomplished in 2025. Amongst the assorted approvals needed from relevant authorities, each airlines have also received approval from the completion watchdogs of each India and Singapore.
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![Air India A350](https://static1.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/350aicm1.jpg)
Singapore Approves Air India-Vistara Merger But With Conditions
Singapore’s competition watchdog had concerns regarding some routes between the 2 countries.
As with all airline merger, the transition of employees from one airline to a different is typically a tough process, with contract negotiations and salary and designation changes as well. Hopefully, these are just a few teething issues for Vistara that will likely be resolved soon.
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