Certain Air India pilots are not happy as the Vistara merger approaches its completion. The pilots have expressed concerns regarding the different retirement age limits for those working in two of the airlines owned by the Tata Group, media reports said.
Citing sources in the know, PTI reported that a section of Air India pilots are upset with the retirement age policies as management is yet to address the issue. The retirement age for pilots and other staff in Air India is 58 years, while the same in Vistara is 60 years.
The report quoted sources and said that a section of Air India pilots are feeling resentment as management is yet to come up with a common superannuation age for the new integrated entity.
Notably, the merger between Vistara and Air India is set to be completed on November 11, 2024. Citing a source, the report stated, “There is a lot of resentment among a section of Air India pilots ahead of the Vistara merger over the retirement age limit. While the management was prompt in bringing parity in terms of salary structure and other working conditions of the employees of the two airlines as part of the merger process, it is yet to address the issue of two different retirement age limits.”
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As per the DGCA regulations, a pilot is permitted to serve up to the age of 65 years. In August, Air India announced a policy that stated that it will retain certain pilots on a contract basis for a period of five years after retirement, with a provision to extend their tenure till the age of 65 years.
The source said, “Air India management needs to fix this anomaly by raising the retirement age limit of its employees also to 60 years. Air India pilots have already got a raw deal with the common seniority list, where many pilots have become junior in the seniority list compared to the Vistara pilots despite being more experienced and having more years in service.”