New Delhi, April 30, (IANS): Talks about a possible lock out of Air India, crippled by the pilots strike and mounting losses, are only baseless rumours floated by the unions, a top official of the carrier said Saturday.

“These are just rumours being floated about a lock out and nothing more. How can the national carrier be locked down. We have enough executive pilots to operate our flights," a senior Air India operations official told IANS.

The official alleged that some pilots in the striking unions may be behind these rumours.

"It may be just to sensationalise their efforts in pressurising the management that these rumours are being floated by some striking pilots," the official added.

According to the official, the possibility of the imposition of Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) or any other move may be some time away as the matter is subjudice.

“There is no basis in this lock-out talk. The management has said nothing, the government is with us and the matter is in court.

"We have even stopped booking, so at the end, we are very comfortable," the official said.
The strike, which has crippled the flag carriers' domestic operations, started Tuesday midnight and has since caused 340 flight cancellation and re-scheduling around the national network.

Air India, which is already under financial strain, has reportedly lost Rs.26 crore till Friday because of the strike. The revenue loss may grow further if the operations are not restored.

The strike entered its fourth day Saturday with the cancellation of around 150 flights and re-scheduling of another 35 flights. On an average, the air line operates 225 flights daily.

"Only the operations of Air India's main domestic arm are effected. Our subsidiary Alliance Air is still active with 100 flights on the national network," said the official.