IndiGo technicians in Hyderabad, Delhi call in sick over salary issues

According to a source, a significant number of aircraft technicians did not report for duty on Friday’s night shift at Hyderabad airport. This was followed by technicians not reporting for duty on Saturday morning as well.

The disruptions at the country’s largest airline come at a time when rival airlines such as Air India are conducting recruitment drives, in addition those by upcoming airlines such as Akasa Air and a revived Jet Airways. (File Photo)

A significant number of IndiGo aircraft maintenance engineers at Hyderabad and Delhi called in sick over the last few days in protest of the salaries being paid to these technicians, according to multiple sources. This comes barely a week after the airline’s cabin crew took a sick leave on July 2 causing more than half of IndiGo’s flights getting delayed.

According to a source, a significant number of aircraft technicians did not report for duty on Friday’s night shift at Hyderabad airport. This was followed by technicians not reporting for duty on Saturday morning as well.

Also Read | Over 50% IndiGo flights delayed as crew call in sick, DGCA seeks report

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Just last week, days after the cabin crew mass leave, IndiGo restored salaries of pilots and cabin crew by an additional 8 per cent. The airline had cut salaries by about 28 per cent during Covid19 pandemic, and this was the second partial rollback — the first one also being 8 per cent. The company also mandated its crew members reporting sick to visit their respective basis for verification. IndiGo did not respond to a request for a comment.

Notably, IndiGo is in midst of a senior management reshuffle with CEO Ronojoy Dutta and chief commercial officer Willy Boulter set to exit the company. KLM’s president and CEO Pieter Elbers is set to take over as IndiGo’s next chief executive.

Also Read | IndiGo to commence Kolkata-Deoghar flight service on July 12

Other companies have also witnessed protests by aircraft technicians this year. In March, state-owned AI Engineering Services Ltd, which was earlier a subsidiary of Air India, also saw its technicians going on a flash strike seeking salary revisions.