The Air India pilots have now entered the fifth day of their agitation. The protest of the pilots has led to the cancellation of 16 flights from Delhi and Mumbai. The senior pilots have sought the intervention of the Prime Minister to end the agitation.

A spokesperson from Air India said, “16 of our flights originating from Delhi and Mumbai have been cancelled”. The senior pilots have supported the agitation and opined that the demands of the pilots are genuine and have also written a letter to the managing director of Air India, the chairman and the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Some 200 pilots have landed in the agitation since May 8, 2012 protesting the rescheduling of training on Dreamliner and the issues that are related to career progression. On the other hand Air India took a tough stand and sacked 25 pilots on Friday.

With the latest termination the total number of pilots who have been sacked has gone up to 71. A letter has also been written by Air India to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation asking to cancel the licenses of 11 office bearers of the IPG whose services have been terminated. The IPG said that they are ready for the talks and have also sought time for a meeting with the civil aviation minister Ajit Singh.