Air India adds extra flights during pilots strike

An Indian airline is laying on extra flights to help mid-haul passengers avoid disruption during a nine-day strike.

Brits worried about internal travel disruptions that may upset their plans to catch flights to India will be glad to know that Air India has added four extra flights to help ease the backlog caused by a pilot’s strike.

More than 600 pilots are taking part in industrial action today (May 5th) in the ninth consecutive day of strikes, so Air India has acted to help out travellers.

Two flights per day from Mumbai to Dubai and a further two from Delhi to Dubai have been added to the Indian carrier’s website, although they will be reserved for those who were previously booked onto flights that have since been cancelled.

The added services will run until May 9th, Air India said in a statement.

Furthermore, a contingency schedule, featuring 106 flights a day, is still being operated, with normal services operating on long-haul routes to the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, Japan, Hong Kong and Korea.

Those looking to catch internal connections to Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata or Chennai may have worse news in store, as 90 per cent of these flights have been curtailed.

Written by Ruth Norris