Pilots’ association accuses Air India of gender discrimination

The Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association accused the government’s Air India of actively discriminating against women pilots, in a letter written to Air India Managing Director Rajiv Bansal on Monday.

In the letter, the association said that the Upgradation List excluded the names or misspelt the names of few women pilots who took maternity leaves, thereby amounting to a denial of due service benefits like Leave Travel Concession (LTC) and adversely affecting their seniority.

“It is reiterated that the present actions of Air India amount to a complete unauthorized transgression vis-à-vis the constitutionally protected rights of its female Pilot workforce and are, therefore, unconstitutional, illegal, arbitrary, and contrary to the judicial pronouncements on this issue,” the letter said.