Air India has said that about half of its flights have been disrupted after pilots reported sick for a fourth consecutive day as part of a protest.

The pilots are protesting against the cancellation of performance-related bonuses by the management of India’s cash-strapped national carrier.
Talks between pilots and management failed to reach a solution on Monday.
Earlier this month a protest by pilots for India’s privately-owned Jet Airways caused considerable disruption.

During that protest hundreds of passengers were stranded at various airports, leading to angry confrontations.

Air India said that the pilots’ refusal to accept the bonus cuts were “unacceptable”. But it also said that it was keeping options open. As well as cancelling many flights, the airline has suspended bookings for flights in the next fortnight.

The struggling state-run airline had to delay by a fortnight payment of June salaries and incentives to its 31,500 employees.

Losses doubled to more than $800m in 2008-09. The protest comes as airlines around the world are struggling to cope with declining passenger traffic due to the global slowdown.