About 12,000 ground crew of the state-owned Indian Airlines Limited have gone on strike, delaying dozens of flights across the country and stranding thousands of passengers, officials said yesterday.
The workers went on strike late on Tuesday night after talks broke down over their concerns that they may lose benefits following a planned merger with Air India, the country's main international carrier.
Flights from all major Indian cities were delayed or canceled, a senior Indian Airlines official said on condition of anonymity, citing company policy.
The head of the workers' union said the strike would continue indefinitely but added that they were open to further negotiations.
"We are ready for settlement. We are urging the management not to be adamant as we cannot put pressure on passengers. But we also have to find a solution to our problems," J.K. Badola, general secretary of the Air Corporation Employees' Union told the Press Trust of India news agency.
He said 12,000 ground crew were taking part in the strike.
Worst hit were flights to and from Mumbai and Calcutta and stranded passengers scrambled to switch to other airlines.
More than 3,000 ground staff, baggage handlers and a segment of the cabin crew of Indian airlines went on strike at Mumbai airport.
"Passengers have started switching to other airlines," said Manish Kalghati, an airport spokesman.
"They [Indian] have contract employees and officers handling check-in and baggage. But the numbers are not as many as those needed," Kalghati said. "We are helping them out with airport staff as much as we can."
In Calcutta all outgoing Indian Airlines flights were canceled, said S.K. Mishra, an airport official.
In New Delhi, flights were running two to five hours late as airplanes from other cities failed to arrive.
"I would never fly Indian [Airlines], but I have no choice," said J. Uttam Chandani, a businessman waiting at New Delhi airport for a flight to Jodhpur.
Indian Airlines is the only one to fly that route.
"I'm helpless," he said.
Delays were also reported from Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore.
Indian Airlines mostly serves domestic routes but in recent years has started flying to selected destinations in Asia and the Middle East.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
CHINA POLICY: At the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China, the two sides issued strong support for Taiwan and condemned China’s actions in the South China Sea The US and EU issued a joint statement on Wednesday supporting Taiwan’s international participation, notably omitting the “one China” policy in a departure from previous similar statements, following high-level talks on China and the Indo-Pacific region. The statement also urged China to show restraint in the Taiwan Strait. US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and European External Action Service Secretary-General Stefano Sannino cochaired the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China and the sixth US-EU Indo-Pacific Consultations from Monday to Tuesday. Since the Indo-Pacific consultations were launched in 2021, references to the “one China” policy have appeared in every statement apart from the
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from