Hundreds Of AIESL Aircraft Maintenance Employees Go 'Off Work' In Major Cities Demanding Equal Pay

Key Takeaways

• Hundreds Of AIESL Aircraft Maintenance Employees Go 'Off Work' In Major Cities Demanding Equal Pay Reported By, Last Updated: May 23, 2026, 20:30 IST The workers also said they are planning a large protest outside the Ministry of Civil Aviation in the coming days Total country-wide strength of AIESL engineering staff that conducts the daily maintenance work on aircraft is about 1,800 to 2,000.
• Image/News18 Hundreds of aircraft maintenance staff have not reported to work in the last ten days at the airports across the country, forcing the Air India Engineering Services Limited (AIESL), the largest Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul (MRO) company in India, to rope in third-party firms to ensure timely daily maintenance of the operating aircraft.
• The mass walkout of workers started on May 13, following a number of demands by the employees, including withdrawal of a policy restricting employees from switching jobs, revision of salary, implementation of a dearness allowance, and implementation of the new labour code, among others.
• Employees alleged that AIESL has not responded to their demands so far.
• AIESL handles multiple fleets of aircraft such as the commonly used A320 family, A310, A330, and B737NG, B747-400, B777, B787, and others.