Jet pilots' stir: Broad solution worked out

Jet Airways and its pilots hammered out a broad understanding on Thursday night to break the deadlock over the pilots' stir raising prospects of a quick return to normalcy following a massive disruption of its flights since Tuesday.

Thursday's development came hours after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inquired about the crisis at the Cabinet meeting which  was given an update by Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel. An understanding was reached shortly after a meeting between the chairman of the private airline Naresh Goyal and Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam, who took up the cause of the pilots.

The Leader of the Aviation Industry Employees Guild, George Abraham was also present at the meeting. The four pilots sacked by the management will be taken back and resume duties while the Registrar of Trade Unions will take a decision on the status of the National Aviators Guild (NAG)

spearheading the stir, according to aviation sources.

The management had firmly ruled out taking back the four pilots sacked while the pilots rejected the demand for disbanding the NAG until the time they came close to a patch up. Sources said the broad contours of the understanding have been communicated to the NAG members, about 200 of whom are huddled in a guest house in Mumbai, for their consideration.

The Guild president Girish Kaushik, who is in Mumbai, said he he is hopeful of a solution during the conciliation talks between the management and the pilots convened by the Chief Labour Commissioner in New Delhi tomorrow. Over 230 flights including 37 on international routes were cancelled today giving passengers an unending ordeal.