Passengers at airports across India could face delays from tomorrow (March 12) as thousands of airport employees plan to go ahead with an indefinite strike after talks with the government broke down.

The strike will affect 127 airports across the country run by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), said MK Ghoshal, the general secretary of the AAI employees' union.

About 14,000 union members will strike over the imminent ending of commercial flights at old airports in the southern cities of Hyderabad and Bangalore, both home to many of India's software and outsourcing companies.

New airports with better facilities built by private developers are due to open soon in both cities. The union says that when that happens, staff at the old airports will lose their jobs or get shifted elsewhere.

Talks with the government and the AAI have so far failed.

"We will not cooperate with the authorities from midnight," he said. "We have to stick to our original plan as the government has not even bothered to sit across the table and resolve the issue."    

Union members are mostly employed in airport support services, and include electricians, plumbers, cleaners, engineers and emergency fire support staff.

A spokeswoman for the civil aviation ministry said no staff would lose their jobs as they will be needed at other airports in the country as they expand and modernise. The AAI could not be reached for comment.

At Delhi airport, about two-thirds of its 2,000 staff belong to the union planning the strike, said airport spokesman Arun Arora.

Arora said the airport, one of the busiest in the country, would try to minimise hassle to passengers. - Reuters