A GROUP of Air India pilots engaged in a 58-day standoff with the national carrier finally bowed to government and judicial pressure and called off their ‘sick leave’ strike yesterday evening.

The faction of roughly 500 pilots who fly international routes had been demanding exclusive rights over their counterparts from former state-owned Indian Airlines to operate Air India’s new Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

The strike forced Air India to curtail its international operations by switching to a truncated interim schedule for May-June 2012 (TTG Asia e-Daily, May 28, 2012).

Air India and Indian Airlines merged in 2007, but have been beset by integration issues – mostly with regards to parity in the employment status of both airlines' flying staff.