Air India has issued an official order stating that the leaves of all its pilots stand cancelled with immediate effect. As the number of domestic flights slowly increases in the country, the national carrier wants to ensure it can keep up with the rise in travellers. 

Several pilots were on leave due to the ongoing pandemic

An internal mail was sent to pilots that read: “All leaves for cockpit crew stands withdrawn with immediate effect. However, leave may be granted in extreme cases depending on the urgency on a case-to-case basis.” Several pilots were on leave during the pandemic and their services were not utilised completely. As the situation slowly returns to normal, the airline is ensuring all its pilots are available. An official from Air India said: “With the situation gradually improving in the aviation sector after the resumption of domestic flights on 25 May, the aviation sector seems to be returning on track.”

Recent data released by the Ministry of Civil Aviation has shown that passengers travelling by domestic flights have steadily increased over the past few months. The number of domestic passengers on 28 February 2021 rose to 3,13,668 on 2,353 flights. This is the highest number since the resumption of domestic flights on 25 May 2020.

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