Around eleven pilots of Air India belonging to Indian Pilots Guild, went on an indefinite hunger strike in New Delhi today, demanding the reinstatement of their 101 sacked colleagues.
The Air India management earlier sacked 101 pilots belonging to the IPG. Around 440 pilots had struck work since the 8th of last month against the management's move to train pilots from the erstwhile Indian Airlines in the merged entity on the soon-to-be-inducted Boeing-787 Dreamliner.

However, the government on the 6th of this month, had invited the pilots to come back and resume their duties first. It had also said that only then, the sacked pilots will be reinstated on case-to-case basis.

The Delhi High Court has asked the Centre to have a relook on amendments made in the Aircraft Rules which bar pilots aged 65 years and above from flying private aircraft for non-commercial purposes. A bench of Acting Chief Justice A K Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw sought for proper examination of the issue.


The court's decision came on a petition of some retired pilots who had airline transport pilot licences of Indian Air Force. Petitioners have challenged the amendments made in the Aircraft Rules, 1937. The amendments in the Act barred pilots, who have attained the age of 65 years or more, from flying private aircrafts for non-commercial purposes.