Air India not to take fresh bookings for 5 days

New Delhi: Some 600 Air India pilots continued with their strike for the second day Thursday, despite a court’s stay order, leaving passengers fuming due to cancellation of another 60 flights as conciliatory talks with the management failed.As per information made available from airports across the country, bulk of the flights that were cancelled Thursday were mainly scheduled out of the capital and Mumbai. Some 50 flights were either cancelled or re-scheduled the previous day.Thursday also saw the cancellation of some international flights, including those from the capital to Kathmandu, Kabul and Dubai. Chaotic scenes were witnessed, particularly at the terminals in Delhi and Mumbai, as passengers frantically sought alternatives.Members of the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), once on the rolls of the erstwhile Indian Airlines, struck work midnight Tuesday demanding parity in pay with their counterparts in Air India and other issues related to work conditions.They also want the airline to reinstate the six pilots who were sacked Wednesday, apart from two others who were suspended and want the union to be recognised again. They also want the chairman and managing director Arvind Jadhav ousted.