New Delhi, Oct. 25 -- Air India is set to introduce a controversial "flexi contract model" that could see widebody pilots working just 15 days a month while narrowbody crews clock 20 days, a move insiders say reflects cost pressures and rising pilot numbers-and has raised eyebrows across the aviation industry. The scheme, to be rolled out in two phases between January and March 2026, will initially exclude Boeing 787 pilots and Delhi-based crew operating Boeing 777 aircraft. The airline has said the scheme will be mandatory but pilots are questioning whether the voluntary offer masks a cost-cutting exercise that could slash their earnings by up to 40%, and eventually become a permanent feature. "As per the plan, a widebody pilot will get work for 15 days in a month and a narrowbody pilot will get 20 days of work. This means a further loss of flying hours, which have already been reduced from almost 90 hours a month pre-Covid to almost 50-55 hours a month after privatisation," one of the persons privy to the information said. Pilots say the flexi model would further erode their income, with narrowbody pilots facing a 30% pay reduction and widebody pilots, particularly those on ultra-long-haul flights to the US and Canada, seeing reductions of up to 40%. Pilot compensations typically comprise a base salary, allowances unlinked to flying, plus flying hour allowances-payments for each hour flown monthly.htc...