New Delhi: Indian Air Force personnel were today deployed at several airports following a 12-hour strike by AAI employees as part of the contingency plans which were set in motion at all airports across the country.

Though several flights, mostly to Kolkata and Mumbai, were cancelled, the Airports Authority of India claimed that airport services were not affected by the stir which is part of the nationwide general strike called today by all major trade unions, barring the Congress-affiliated INTUC.

The airlines had themselves cancelled the flights as the crew "may not have been able to reach the airports," top AAI officials said. "Facilities and services at all airports, including Kolkata, have not been disrupted," they said.

Giving the status position of flights, they said there were 105 departures and 58 arrivals at Delhi airport, 42 departures and 89 arrivals at Mumbai, 44 and 34 at Chennai, 14 and six at Ahmedabad, 13 and 11 at Thiruvananthapuram, 13 and 13 at Calicut, six and five at Jaipur, six and six at Lucknow and two and two at Guwahati.

The AAI officials said going by the number of flights across major cities, the schedules are running "almost normally".

The Indian Air Force has deployed 250 of its personnel at various airports to maintain safety and fire services. They have been stationed at 21 airports across the country to help AAI to maintain critical services during the strike.

Meanwhile, six flights, mostly bound for Kolkata, were cancelled following the 12-hour strike by airport staffers.

Opposing any further privatisation or leasing out of AAI airports, the employees are demanding better pay and job security of the AAI employees in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Nagpur airports.
Source : PTI