The Jet Airways pilots strike is into the third day. Today the airlines has put out a list of 233 flights cancelled - domestic and international - and despite speculations of a solution in the Jet management and pilots' standoff pilots show no signs of relenting.
Over 14,000 passengers are suffering and today at least for now it seems like there is no change in the situation.
The mass sick leave plan continues. The pilots are now unwilling to come on camera with any response or reaction or statement. Possibly after the Bombay high court has served them the contempt notice.
On Wednesday Jet Airways chief Naresh Goyal met with Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel. The Jet owner is parked in Delhi trying everything possible to end the pilot strike.
"I hope there will be some solution," said Naresh Goyal, Jet Air chief.
Goyal and his team say they're willing to negotiate, but first the 400 pilots on strike have to return to work. Jet management warns that they will not hesitate to hire expat or retired pilots to replace current staff, if it comes to that.
But for now he has simply hit an air pocket as 72 more pilots were absent on Wednesday and the total pilots on strike now is 432 up from 360 on Tuesday and they are in no mood to give in. Two hundred twenty six domestic and 20 international flights were cancelled on Wednesday.
"We have given 40 days to the management to solve this. Now when the management has said that they have taken care of the passengers, how can they say the public is being affected," said Sam Thomas, one of the sacked pilots.
With the problems deepening, Jet has set up a crisis management centre, its job is to try and accommodate as many of its passengers as possible.
The pressure on jet seems to be from all sides: the pilots, the passengers and now the government which wants the strike to end. But for now it is not willing to intervene since NDTV has learnt that Jet pilots are in touch with Air India pilots on this matter.
The Aviation Ministry wants an early resolution but they are not keen on intervening, they don't want to be seen as taking sides. After all the government too owns an airline. Air India and they too face similar problems.
But it's an issue that has many considering the future of unions in the corporate sector. Most private airlines refused to comment on issue but experts feel this strike is a test case for the aviation industry.
"How can they not let us form a union, it's our Constitutional right and there is no question of disbanding it," said the sacked pilot.
The negotiations are on and the waiting has begun to see who will blink first. And now the defiant pilots are also feeling the heat.
On Wednesday morning, they were met by loaders requesting them to withdraw the strike because their salaries depend on the flights flying out.
Also the question: Will Jet go ahead and terminate every striking pilot? Can a tottering airline industry accommodate over 400 unemployed pilots?
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