Vistara CEO allays pilots’ fears on pay cuts amid flight delays

Vistara, co-owned by Tata Group and Singapore Airlines Ltd., addressed pilots’ concerns over pay cuts and fatigue, people familiar with the matter said, after an en masse sick leave by pilots and crew shortage forced the Indian carrier to cancel more than a hundred flights. CEO Vinod Kannan assuaged pilots’ worries about the new salary structure on Wednesday in a virtual meeting, according to people familiar who asked not to be identified because it was a closed-door discussion. Kannan told them there will be opportunities to earn more after the airline is merged with Air India Ltd., one of the people said. The manpower shortage led to 106 Vistara flights being canceled since Monday, according to data from FlightAware, an aircraft tracking and data company. Vistara typically operates more than 300 flights a day. Pilots are upset with Vistara for aligning its salary structure with Air India Ltd. — a move that will reduce their guaranteed pay to 40 flying hours from 70 hours a month, Bloomberg News reported Tuesday. Kannan said those who did report to work faced tightly planned roasters and many fatigued pilots exhausted their flying hours limit during flight delays, the people said. This further snowballed the disruptions in Vistara’s flight schedule. Kannan assured the pilots that the carrier will improve its roster to give adequate rest time and if required, scale back its network to ensure buffer in case of delays, the people said. Vistara’s operations were expected to turn normal by the weekend, according to a local news report.<br/>