Vistara sending 500-odd pilots on three-day LWP in Sept

Dhaka: Vistara has announced to send all of its 500-odd pilots on three-day leave without pay in September as the airline industry continues to grapple with weak travel demand due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The three-day leave without pay (LWP) measure for pilots is in addition to a cut in monthly base flying allowance.

On June 30, the Tata-Singapore Airlines joint venture carrier had announced a 5-10 per cent salary cut for 40 per cent of its 4,000-strong workforce till December. In a statement, a Vistara spokesperson confirmed that an additional measure of three-day LWP has been introduced.

“Our priority remains to preserve jobs while optimising cost in these unprecedented times,” the spokesperson added.

The management also informed the pilots that the decision will be reviewed on a monthly basis, and if the situation improves, it may be adjusted as well, the source said.

Furthermore, the source added that the total effective salary cut for a pilot is likely to be between 27.93 per cent to 32 per cent, depending on whether the three-days gross reduction is on “our current pay or original pay”.

In June, Leslie Thng, CEO of Vistara announced that he was taking a 20 per cent pay cut from July to December 31, and was also implementing a monthly pay cut scheme for staff, except for pilots.

“For pilots, we will continue with the reduction of monthly base flying allowance to 20 hours for July to December 2020. Allowances will also be adjusted for pilots under certain categories of training,” he added.