Pilots strike enters eighth day, 221 flights cancelled

New Delhi, May 5 (ANI): With the Air India pilots' strike entering its eighth-day on Wednesday, as many as 221 domestic flights have been cancelled.

The Delhi High Court has issued a contempt notice to nine officers of the Indian Commercial Pilots' Association (ICPA), who are spearheading the pilots strike.

The pilots have been given two weeks to respond to the notices. The next date of hearing in the contempt case is on May 25.

The Delhi High Court also criticized the striking pilots for the loss they have caused to the nation.

The High Court, in a statement, said: "Are you aware of the loss you have caused to the nation? Who will compensate for the loss? It is a huge loss to the citizens when you disrupt their routine. Because of you, the government will only burden the citizens by spiking prices. What is your association going to achieve? You have not been able to explain even that."

Earlier, the court asked the pilots to resumed their work, warning that 'this strike will not see another day'.

A division bench of Justices B D Ahmed and Beena Birbal, which heard a plea for initiation of contempt proceedings against the striking pilots, said: "You call off the strike, we will press the management to consider your demand. This strike will not see another day."

Over 1600 pilots of the Indian Commercial Pilots' Association (ICPA), who belonged to the Indian Airlines and were employed by Air India after the merger of the two carriers in 2007, have been on an indefinite strike since April 27 demanding pay parity.

The ICPA claims that while Air India pilots enjoy a huge fixed salary component, the same is almost minuscule for former IA pilots in 2007. (ANI)