Vistara to temporarily scale back its network

Many Vistara pilots are dissatisfied with the reduced fixed compensation. File Pic/AP

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), of Vistara, Vinod Kannan, held a meeting with the pilots of the airline to address their issues. Vistara recently witnessed a string of cancellations and delays in its flights. There were more than 100 cancellations and even more delays in the last two days. Sources within the airline had also disclosed that at least 21 senior first officers had left Vistara recently.

In response to the ongoing protests by Vistara pilots over pay revisions, the airline's CEO convened an emergency meeting with pilots and other departments to discuss measures to avoid further pilot sick reports. As per the Vistara Airline sources, CEO Vinod Kannan held a meeting with the pilots and discussed some crucial issues. He started by thanking the pilots for their unwavering support during these difficult times.

"The CEO also acknowledged that the rosters were being used to the maximum and that the authorities would try their best to implement a better work-life balance. This, he said, was being worked upon at high priority. He also mentioned that even though pilots are working so hard, there hasn't been a rise in sick reporting. He further explained that the disruptions caused in March were due to a few factors, such as not having enough pilots, bird hits, weather disruptions, and planned maintenance," said a pilot.

"These factors had a cascading effect and resulted in significant disruption but the situation is starting to improve. Furthermore, he said the airline had a 70 per cent OTP or On-Time Performance the day before. The airline is planning on scaling back its network temporarily in an attempt to bring more resilience. The CEO also said that the airline is working hard to regain the trust of its customers and will provide refunds and service recoveries. Finally, he also mentioned that the authorities are working to make things better and improve operational punctuality," the pilot added. An email query sent by this reporter regarding the issue to the airlines went unanswered.

Points discussed in the meeting

>> Gratitude to pilots for their support
>> Recognition of roster optimisation
>> Commitment to improving work-life balance
>> High-priority focus on roster enhancements
>> Stable sick reporting rates
>> Network optimisation ongoing with pilot buffer in focus
>> Operational disruptions in March addressed
>> Temporary network scaling back underway
>> Efforts to enhance network resilience
>> Customer assurance: Trust restoration in progress
>> Refunds and service recoveries in progress
>> Urgent efforts to improve operations
>> Progress evident in situation
>> Cancellations halved from yesterday
>> Achieved approximately 70% OTP yesterday
>> Continuous focus on punctuality and network resilience