It looks like pilots are doomed to sacrifice a lot more to keep the beleaguered Air India in the air. Faced with a massive cabin crew shortage, the national carrier has had to cancel more than 10 flights a day — including those to Madrid and Birmingham — since March 16. The crew shortage has become so massive that its management, in a letter issued on March 15, had asked all inactive cabin crew members, those who are unfit to fly due to physical or technical reasons, to report for duty so that the number of cancellations can be brought down.
“You are all aware that the crisis has been precipitated by the closure of country’s neighbourhood (Pakistan) airspace and resultant rerouting and stopovers,” the management the letter noted. The airspace closure has led to daily losses running into crores of rupees.
