Mumbai, 1 April  

Vistara will temporarily reduce flight operations due to non-availability of pilots that resulted in nearly 50 flight cancellations on Monday, according to sources.

More number of flights are expected to be cancelled on Tuesday and the number could go up to 70, the sources in the know said.

The full-service carrier has been grappling with the issue of first officers of its A320 fleet reporting sick in the last few weeks to protest against reduction in their emoluments due to new contracts, the sources added.

A Vistara spokesperson said the airline had a significant number of flight cancellations and delays in the past few days due to various reasons, including crew unavailability. "We have decided to temporarily reduce the number of flights we operate to ensure adequate connectivity across our network," the spokesperson said in a statement.