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NEW DELHI : A "sick leave" strike by pilots at India's second-largest airline, Jet Airways, ended Saturday after forcing the cancellation of flights for five days, local media reported.
Thousands of Jet customers had been forced to change their travel plans as more than 430 pilots -- over half the pilot roster -- reported sick in what the company called a "simulated strike" triggered by the sacking of two pilots for setting up a union.
"The (sacked) pilots will be taken back into service and flight operations are set to begin as early as tomorrow after the pilots' rostering is done," the United News of India (UNI) agency reported Saturday, citing unnamed sources.
"However, the final announcement over the deadlock from both the sides is expected to take place tomorrow."
The Press Trust of India agency quoted a spokesman for the airline as saying normal domestic flights would resume by noon on Sunday.
The private carrier operates 365 domestic and 74 international flights daily.
More than 800 flights were cancelled during the strike, UNI said, citing unnamed sources.
The two sides held Friday a first set of talks called by the country's chief labour commissioner in New Delhi that concluded after nine hours without agreement.
"The discussions are inconclusive. Everything is inconclusive," Saroj Datta, executive director of Jet Airways, told reporters after the meeting.
Another round of conciliation talks began late Saturday in Mumbai, the Press Trust of India reported.
Money-losing Jet, which flies to London, New York, Toronto, Singapore and other international destinations as well as to most Indian cities, has also fired two other pilots for alleged discipline breaches.
The union says the two other pilots were dismissed for their union involvement.
The pilots were demanding reinstatement of their colleagues to end the strike that media reports said cost the airline owned by Indian tycoon Naresh Goyal eight million dollars a day.
Indian media reports said Jet management wanted the union disbanded or restrictions imposed on its ability to disrupt flights.
- AFP /ls
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