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Air India workers call off strike

BBC Reviewed Jun 30, 2026 ✓ Reviewed by citations.press editors
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Air India sacked 41 employees on Thursday, bringing the total number of terminated staff to 58.
41 · employees sacked58 · total employees terminated
Air India
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Air India suspended 24 employees, including 15 engineers.
24 · employees suspended15 · engineers suspended
Air India
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Air India de-recognised two unions on Wednesday.
2 · unions de-recognised
Air India
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Aviation analyst Kapil Kaul stated that it was the first time in 20 years he had witnessed union leaders being dismissed.
20 years · period of observation
Kapil Kaul, Aviation analyst
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The government provided a $168 million (£117 million) bailout to Air India and promised an additional $252 million (£175 million).
168000000 USD · bailout given117000000 GBP · bailout given252000000 USD · additional bailout promised175000000 GBP · additional bailout promised
The government
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Analysts suggest that Air India's 30,000-strong workforce should be reduced by half for the airline to become competitive.
30000 · workforce0.5 · workforce reduction
Analysts
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Air India staff returned to work after a two-day strike that left tens of thousands of passengers stranded after a court declared the stoppage illegal.

An airline spokesman said a number of striking workers had been dismissed and suspended.

The strike was called in protest at an alleged gag on staff speaking about Saturday's air disaster in Mangalore. More than 100 flights were cancelled.

At least 158 people died when the Air India Express Boeing crashed.

On Thursday, Air India sacked 41 employees, taking the number of staffers whose services have been terminated to 58.

It has also suspended 24 others, including 15 engineers.

On Wednesday, the airline de-recognised two unions which led the strike.

Aviation analyst Kapil Kaul said it was the first time in 20 years he had seen union leaders being dismissed.

Ground crew and engineers returned to work on Thursday and flights have resumed, Air India said.

The airline applied for an injunction against the strike on the grounds that it was illegal, unjustified and would cause "enormous damage" to its revenues and reputation.

The Delhi high court granted the injunction on Wednesday and directed the striking employees to return to work. The government had called the strike "irresponsible."

The leader of one of the striking unions, Vivek Rao, said they had come to "some understanding" with the Air India management and ended the strike.

"It is not that our back is broken," he added.

Air India chairman Arvind Jadhav said the airline had been forced to take action over the striking employees: "This question is not about the strike.

"The question is about bringing accountability. The question is about discipline."

Unions said the management was banning staff from talking to the media about the crash, a charge the airline denied.

Soon after the accident, some Air India employees alleged that the airline was flouting safety regulations, something the airline also denied.

Union leaders said another aim of the strike was to "protest [against] the delay in payment of salaries and highlight the problems of the cabin crew".

The government had given a $168m (£117m) bailout to the ailing state-run airline and promised $252m (£175m) more.

Analysts say the airline's 30,000-strong workforce needs to be cut by half to make it competitive. Air India has a fleet of 136 aircraft flying to domestic and international destinations.

Investigators are still trying to find out why the Air India Express Boeing-737 crashed at Mangalore airport.

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