DTN News: Iran TODAY March 7, 2010 ~ Iran President Wants Russian Pilots Gone

DTN News: Iran TODAY March 7, 2010 ~ Iran President Wants Russian Pilots Gone Source: DTN News / Press TV

(NSI News Source Info) TEHRAN, Iran - March 7, 2010: In reaction to several accidents involving Russian-built passenger planes in Iran, the Islamic Republic sets a two-month deadline for Russian pilots to leave the country.

"Upon an order from President [Mahmoud Ahmadinejad], the Road and Transport Ministry has set a two-month deadline, after which all Russian pilots must leave the country," Fars News Agency quoted Minister of Roads and Transportation Hamid Behbahani as saying on Saturday. "When our country itself has plenty of competent and skilled pilots, there is no need for hiring pilots from abroad to operate our flights," he added.

Iran has suffered a string of aviation disasters over the past decade, most involving private airlines using Russian-made planes and crew. Officials have blamed the incidents on a ban on the sale of airplane parts to Iran, forcing it to purchase the parts from Russia and other former Soviet states.

In the worst plane crash in Iran, a Tupolev-154M, crashed shortly after take-off from Tehran en route to the Armenian capital of Yerevan on July 15, 2009, leaving all 168 passengers onboard dead.

Russia, which has significant trade ties with Iran, is among six world powers trying to find a diplomatic solution to the long-running dispute over Tehran's nuclear program. Moscow has indicated it could support new sanctions against Iran provided they are not too severe. Iran denies Western accusations that its nuclear work is aimed at developing bombs. Iranian officials have voiced growing frustration at Russia's failure to supply the advanced S-300 missile defense system, which Israel and the United States do not want Tehran to have. Russia last month said it would not sell weapons if it leads to destabilization in any region.

DTN News: India's Jet Airways Pilots 'Ill' For Second Day

DTN News: India's Jet Airways Pilots 'Ill' For Second Day *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) MUMBAI, India - September 10, 2009: Hundreds of pilots of India's private airline Jet Airways have reported sick for a second day, leading to the cancellation of more than 100 flights. Hundreds of passengers have been stranded at various airports, leading to angry confrontations. On Tuesday, 13,000 passengers were stranded as 154 domestic and 32 international flights were cancelled. The pilots are protesting against the dismissal of two senior pilots last month by the airline. The pilots' union, the National Aviator's Guild, has been demanding the reinstatement of the pilots. 'Damage the airline' Most morning flights operated by Jet Airways - India's second largest private airline - were cancelled on Wednesday. A spokesman said their flights to Europe, the United Kingdom and North America were, however, on schedule. India's national airline Air India lent a helping hand by flying the Sri Lanka-bound national cricket team to Colombo for a tri-series, the Air India said in a statement. The protest has stranded thousands of passengers at airports across India. On Tuesday, Jet Airways went to court in an attempt to get its pilots back to work. The airline says the protest will "damage the airline's operations and inconvenience the travelling public". A spokesman for the pilots' union has said the protest would continue until their demand was met. The airline has been mired in controversies in recent months. Last year, it announced plans to lay off 1,900 staff to cut costs. But after days of protests by employees, the government persuaded the airline to take them back. India's once-booming aviation sector has been hard hit by soaring costs, mainly due to global fuel-price rises.