New Delhi, Sep 29 (IANS) Air India appears heading for more trouble with its ground staff also planning to go on strike.

"The management seems to be worsening the situation," said J.B. Kadian, general secretary of Air Corporation Employees Union (ACEU), which has over 20,000 ground staff in its fold.

"They (the management) have already threatened to declare a lockout. Even though they have denied this, such a thing was never heard of earlier," Kadian told IANS Tuesday, adding that ACEU too was now planning to join the pilot's agitation.

"We are organising our members and apprising them about the situation. The CMD, (chairman and managing director Arvind Jadhav) is only worsening the situation," he said.

A section of Air India pilots went on strike Saturday in protest against cut in their productivity linked incentives (PLI).

The strike forced the carrier to cancel 50 flights Tuesday, including nine international flights.

However, Jadhav had told reporters Tuesday that the cash-strapped national carrier had lost over Rs.84 crore in the first three days of the strike. However, in a statement Monday night, he denied any possibility of a lockout in Air India.