The Indian Pilots' Guild, the association of Air-India pilots, will challenge the suspension orders served to 27 pilots by the management.

The IPG said that it is not on a strike or an agitation, but has merely issued a directive that asks pilots not to operate any flights to and from Hong Kong and Singapore or fly with crew members who could have been exposed to SARS during their visits to these two affected areas.

"We are not on a strike and, hence, will file a petition with the Mumbai High Court on Tuesday challenging the suspension orders. We will also raise a few air safety issues that have come up as a result of the A-I management's decision," IPG general secretary Captain Vikrant Sansare said.

Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, Sansare said the IPG continued to have a single demand.

"We want health certificates issued to airline staff who have flown to SARS-affected countries in the last 10 days, so that the health of fellow pilots and others is not affected," Sansare said.

The IPG claims the support of the Air India Cabin Crew Association, which had issued a directive advising its members not to undertake any flight to Hong Kong with effect from April 7.

A-I spokesperson Jitendra Bhargava dismissed the IPG's demands.

"The IPG's apprehensions are misplaced. It has no authority to demand anything. Health certification is the responsibility of the health officer."

"Its concern is not pilots' health; the intention is to disrupt the working of the airline," Bhargava said.

He said the Regional Labour Commissioner's office in Mumbai would decide on the legal status of the IPG's strike.

The A-I management has put into place contingency measures, including employing retired pilots and extending flying hours for pilots from nine to ten hours.

The IPG has said it would challenge some of these directives in court.