IndiGo's aircraft technicians go on sick leave to seek salary revision

Some aircraft technicians at IndiGo are on sick leave since Friday demanding a revision in salaries.

The protest comes days after the airline partially restored salaries of its pilots and cabin crew and made changes to its human resource (HR) policies. Some technicians in Hyderabad reported sick on Friday night while those from other bases skipped work on Sunday demanding a revision in salary, an industry source said.

IndiGo did not comment on the protest. An executive said there was no impact on its flights.

Technicians work under the supervision of aircraft engineers and carry out routine maintenance. Across the sector, technician salaries are low and Covid-19 pandemic worsened the problem as some airlines resorted to pay cuts.

IndiGo is not the only airline facing labour troubles. Last November, the engineering staff at SpiceJet held a protest demanding restoration of salaries and leaves. In March, technicians employed by AI Engineering Services went on a flash strike seeking salary revision, renewal of employment contract, and payment of dearness allowance among other things.

The salaries were restored after more than half the flights operated by IndiGo faced delays last week as a large number of cabin crew members reported sick just hours before departure.

The changes to IndiGo’s HR policies come after more than half of its flights faced delays on July 2 as a large number of cabin crew members reported sick just hours before departure. With the Tata-led Air India hiring aggressively and two new airlines — Akasa Air and Jet Airways — looking to start operations this year, IndiGo expects higher attrition levels among its crew.