Vistara crisis explained: Why flights are getting cancelled or delayed, what the govt said

Vistara, the private carrier jointly owned by Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, has cancelled several of its scheduled flights citing the shortage of crew members and pilots. The cancellations have propelled the Centre to step in, with the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) reportedly seeking a report from the airline.

Vistara cancelled at least 50 flights on April 1, and on April 2, the airline was expected to cancel around 60 flights, the Times of India reported, citing sources. This has affected operations on several key routes, as a number of flights originating from metro cities have also been cancelled.

Till the early hours of today (April 2), the airline cancelled at least 38 flights, NDTV reported. The list of cancellations include 11 flights that were to originate from Bengaluru, 12 from Mumbai and 15 from New Delhi, the news channel said.

Also Read: Vistara to cancel dozens of flights today amid shortage of crew, pilots; Delhi, Mumbai among routes affected

The aviation company, while acknowledging the disruption of its services, said it would be deploying large aircraft including the wide-body Boeing 787 Dreamliner and A321neo on select domestic routes to "to accommodate more passengers, wherever possible".

Why are Vistara flights getting cancelled or delayed?

A Vistara spokesperson told publications that the flight cancellations and delays are a result of “various reasons including crew unavailability”. While the company did not share the reason behind their unavailability, reports said that pilots and crew members have taken sick leaves en masse.

The purpose behind their absence from work is to protest against the company’s decision to revise their pay structures, several reports claimed.

Vistara, which is bound to be merged with another Tata Group airline Air India, will reportedly adopt the pay structure of the latter for its employees.

While details related to the new pay structure have not been publicly shared, the Economic Times learnt from sources that pilots will be paid a fixed salary for 40 hours under the new structure, as against 70 hours for which they are currently paid. The reported change is in line with the standardised salary structure adopted across Tata Group airlines.

This has drawn dissent from the pilots, as this would reduce their take-home pay, the report added.

The newspaper further reported that pilots are also concerned about the impact of the Air India-Vistara merger on their seniority. In the aviation industry, the seniority of a pilot is determined by an array of factors, including the tenure spent with a specific airline.

A section of the pilots fear that their seniority would be reset, following Vistara’s merger into Air India, which is the larger between the two brands. An airline executive told Economic Times that although the airline has given assurance that the seniority factor would be looked into, an uncertainty looms, considering the fact that “Air India has been actively recruiting pilots”.

According to NDTV, the pilots are also marking their protest as they have been asked to accept the revised pay structure – shared on email – on a short notice. The company has conveyed to them that turning down the revised offer may be considered as their decision to opt out of service following the merger, it reported.

How has the government responded so far to the Vistara flights row?

The aviation ministry has sought a detailed report from Vistara on the prevailing situation, news agency ANI reported. In a statement issued on social media, MoCA said it is “monitoring the situation”.

"However, flight operations are managed by Airlines themselves. Airlines have to comply with DGCA norms to ensure passenger facilitation in case of cancellation or delay of flights," it added.

The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked Vistara to submit daily information and details on the flights that are being cancelled and delayed. The regulator also told the airline to comply with the norms related to flight cancellations and delays, in order to minimise the inconvenience caused to passengers.

Will Vistara provide refunds to stranded passengers?

A Vistara spokesperson told publications that the airline is providing the affected passengers with refunds or alternative flight options. In some cases, it is also trying to accommodate the stranded passengers on the larger widebody aircraft, which it is deploying on select routes.

The airline said it “sincerely apologises” for disruptions, and is working towards stabilising the situation. The flight operations at regular capacity “will resume very soon”, the spokesperson was reported as saying.