The Maharaja will continue serving Air India customers with a smile as a pilots' body, which had threatened to go on a strike today over the deferment of their salary, has dropped its plan for now.

The Indian Commercial Pilots' Association (ICPA) changed its mind after civil aviation minister Vayalar Ravi invited all unions of the Air India to a meeting scheduled for February 16.

A senior pilot, owing allegiance to the ICPA, told MiD DAY, "It is true that the salary related issues still exists.u00a0


Civil aviation minister has invited different pilot unions to a meeting on February 16

Our salaries are never credited to our accounts on time. But we have not decided to go on a strike as yet.
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We will rather wait for the meeting called by the civil aviation minister, asking all the unions of Air India to participate with their pending demands.

We are assured that the minister will take some concrete steps and not disappoint us. We have decided to put the strike plan on hold, till we get the stand of the government gets clear."

Around a dozen of pilots' unions will meet the civil aviation minister on February 16.

"As of now, the meeting between the union civil aviation minister and different unions will tentatively happen on February 16," a spokesperson of the civil aviation ministry, told MiD DAY.

The source from the civil aviation ministry, however, reveals that ministry is in a reconciliatory mood and will listen to the demands of different unions very carefully.

"The minister has personally shown interest to settle all the disputes with the different unions so that operations of Air India does not get affected," said an official.

From the first day of joining his new job, Ravi has been saying that he would turn the loss-making national carrier into a profitable venture.