Air India pilots 'to end strike'

[mhm]

Pilots of national carrier Air India are set to call off their strike after almost two months, reports say.

The news came after the Delhi High Court told pilots to return to work within 48 hours.

More than 400 pilots have been on strike in a dispute over training to fly the Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane.

Dozens of flights have been cancelled because of the strike, which has entered its 58th day. Reports say the strike has cost more than £100m.

The airline has already sacked 101 pilots and the High Court had earlier ruled the protest illegal.

The court said on Tuesday that the Air India management would "consider sympathetically" the cases of the sacked pilots.

The pilots have been protesting against a decision to train pilots from Indian Airlines, which merged with Air India in 2007, to fly the Dreamliners.

Air India pilots say that as the planes were ordered before the merger, they should be given priority for training.

The airline is severely in debt - earlier this year the government approved a debt-restructuring plan worth nearly $6bn (£3.8bn).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-18684802