IndiGo, India's largest airline, is planning to restore the salaries of pilots by 6 percent from September 2022, sources in the know told CNBC-TV18. The no-frills airline is planning to bring back salaries of pilots to pre-COVID levels by November 2022, according to multiple people familiar with the development.
Another 6.5 percent hike is planned for November. According to reports, the airline has already reinstated overtime allowance for pilots to pre-COVID levels.
IndiGo had slashed the salaries of a large section of its employees when the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak.
On July 2, nearly 55 percent of IndiGo flights were late and on July 3, around 30 percent of the airline's flights were delayed. A flight is considered to be delayed if it is departing beyond 15 minutes of its departure time.
As a result, IndiGo faced one of its worst on-time performances on the weekend. The sudden non-availability of cabin crew members in such large numbers clearly showed that there is immense discontentment regarding the current pay and allowance which is not adequately compensating for the tiredness and long working hours that they have to endure, especially as travel has started to cross pre-COVID level in the domestic market.
In April, some pilots protested against the delay in the restoration of their pre-COVID salaries. Disciplinary action was initiated against some pilots who were planning to organise a strike on the issue. It is important to note that this development had taken place after the airline announced an 8 percent hike in salaries of pilots from April 1. However, the pilots reasoned that they would still have to face a 20 percent cut.
The airline currently operates approximately 1,600 flights — domestic and international — daily. As of March 31 last year, IndiGo had 23,711 employees on its rolls.
Shares of IndiGo ended at Rs 1,887.10, up by Rs 17.20, or 0.92 percent on the BSE.
(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)
First Published: Aug 1, 2022 6:19 PM IST
