Air India cancels all pilots' leaves to add flights as domestic travel surges

Air India cancelled the leaves of its pilots as the airline prepares to ramp up its operations to meet the surge in domestic air travel after travel came to a grinding halt amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In an internal communication, the airlines said "leave for cockpit crew stands withdrawn with immediate effect" unless in cases of emergency.

Senior AI officials told The Times of India that this was done as the number of domestic flights operated by the airlines will soon increase. The Ministry of Civil Aviation had indicated that the cap on airline operations may completely be removed in the coming months.

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Last month, the civil aviation ministry said that the number of domestic flights that Indian airlines are permitted to operate will remain at 80 per cent of their pre-Covid levels till March 31

Scheduled international commercial flights continue to remain suspended, while overseas flights under air bubble agreements and the Vande Bharat Mission are operational, among others.

(With agency inputs)