A Vistara Airbus A320 passenger aircraft. File.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Vistara has cancelled nearly 1,000 flights for the month of April in order to ensure stability in its operations, which saw a massive disruption last week over hectic rosters for pilots and unrest from a section of cockpit crew over pay cuts.

“We are carefully scaling back our operations by around 25-30 flights per day, that is, roughly 10% of the capacity we were operating,” a Vistara spokesperson said in a statement.

Also read | Merger pangs: Vistara gives ultimatum to pilots over new pay

The move will provide a much needed buffer to the airline in pilot rosters.

The airline said that the cancellations will mostly affect domestic flights and have been implemented much ahead of time to minimise inconvenience to passengers.

“All the affected passengers have already been re-accommodated on other flights,” the airline added.

Vistara has also deployed bigger Airbus A321 and Boeing 787 aircraft on domestic routes to accommodate more number of passengers and has also been booking its customers on other airlines. Air India will also be sending nearly 20 First Officers on deputation to support Vistara. Six Airbus A320s of Vistara are also being shifted to Air India Express to improve the aircraft and manpower ratio.

The cancellations are expected to push up airfares during the peak summer travel season in a market that is already grappling with nearly 200 aircraft grounded due to engine issues, out of which IndiGo alone has over 70 non-operational planes.

New Delhi:

Vistara expects to resume normal flight ops by the weekend, company sources told NDTV Wednesday evening, hours after CEO Vinod Kannan and senior members of his management team held a virtual town hall with striking pilots.

Company sources said the pilots had been promised a course correction to address concerns in the wake of Vistara’s merger with Air India. This, sources said, will include improved growth potential once the merger is complete and better rostering of pilots, which is expected by May.

The pilots have been told that opportunities to earn more will exist post the merger.

Almost 100 per cent of the pilots have now accepted the new contract, sources said, adding that no protest had been expressed by pilots during the virtual town hall.

Emphasising the point that crisis brought on by pilot shortage is nearing an end, Vistara sources also said only 24 flights were cancelled today compared to the 52 affected yesterday.

The pilots have yet to release a statement from their side.

READ | Vistara CEO To Meet Pilots After Scores Of Flights Cancelled

The airline had earlier said it faced a “significant number” of flight cancellations and delays “due to various reasons including crew unavailability”. It also said it had decided to temporarily reduce the number of flights it operates “to ensure adequate connectivity across our network”.

“We acknowledge and are deeply concerned about the inconvenience this has caused to our customers. Having said that, our teams are working towards minimizing the discomfort to the customers,” the airline said.

Vistara pilots had called in sick to protest the revised salary structure ahead of the merger with Air India. The pilots were sent a revised pay structure over mail and asked to sign on a short notice. The pilots were also warned that those who did not sign would be left out of the merger.

READ | Inside Track Of Vistara Crisis: Why Pilots Called In Sick En Masse

Pilots have complained that their cost to company (CTC) had been reduced in the new contract, in which they are mandated to fly 40 hours as opposed to 70 hours earlier. Sources in the airline, however, said that under the new structure pilots were incentivised to fly more, and that they could, in fact, earn more than they did earlier.

The centre is monitoring the situation and has sought daily reports from Vistara. Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had asked the airline to share the steps they are taking to deal with the inconvenience caused to passengers.

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An Instagram user has slammed Vistara Airlines, claiming that the airline left his blind mother alone on a flight and did not take responsibility for its actions. His post generated a barrage of responses from others who not only called the airline’s behaviour shocking but shared their experiences too. Vistara responded by apologising to the user and promising they would look into the incident.

“@Vistara Airlines, how could you put my blind mother in danger like this?! Are you not responsible for taking care of disabled passengers who are left under your supervision and assistance whilst travelling?! SHOCKING!, Instagram user Ayush Kejriwal posted 3 hours ago.

Calling it a terrible experience, Mr Kejriwal on Instagram shared that his blind mother was travelling from Delhi to Kolkata on August 31 and they opted for an assisted travel plan for her which means she will be assisted throughout her journey to Kolkata. However, when the flight reached Kolkata, everybody got off and his mother was told to wait. She patiently waited but no one came for her. A cleaning staff then informed the airline and she was taken out of the flight.

See the post here:

The airline took note of Mr Kejriwal’s post and responded with an apology.

“Hi Ayush, we deeply regret to learn about your recent experience with us. At Vistara, we hold ourselves to the highest service standards, and it upsets us to hear that we fell short of your expectations. Please be assured that we prioritize the well-being of our customers and their safety and security are of top priority for us. Please DM us the case reference numbers and booking details. Thanks, Aishwarya.”

Social media soon erupted with users calling the airline’s response shameful.

“Don’t bother, they don’t respond, even if they do they would only call back and say sorry and act like nothing happened post that. They literally don’t care about their passengers, worst airlines vistara.”

Another user wrote, “I am so sad to hear this. I am also glad you have raised it. It’s shocking and unacceptable.”

“Thank you for sharing this. I pray it never happens again to your mother or anyone else,” the third user commented.

Earlier, a Twitter user called out the Airlines and claimed that he was asked to produce a “cremation centre receipt” when he requested for his booking to be rescheduled.