Air-India on Wednesday came down heavily on the derecognised Indian Pilots Guild by suspending its president Capt Kenneth Khan, even as 27 aggrieved pilots moved the Mumbai high court challenging their suspension amid signs of chinks among the strikers.

'Some' pilots defied the IPG directive and reported for duty as the airline planned to hire pilots of Indian origin, working with foreign airlines and temporarily laid off, to augment its services.

Khan was served with a suspension notice on Tuesday night after he refused to operate the London-Mumbai Boeing 747 flight last week demanding a certificate from A-I that the accompanying crew had not flown to SARS-affected area for the past 10 days.

The airline also stepped up its security at the Sahar terminal so that pilots wanting to report for duty are conducted 'safe passage' to prevent IPG hardliners stopping them, A-I officials said.

"Some pilots have reported for flying and rostered for flights," A-I sources said here but declined to reveal the number of the line pilots who have joined for duty.

The suspended pilots, who approached the court, prayed that their suspension be stayed until final orders. They have questioned the management's decision to suspend them saying the action is per se illegal.

They also denied A-I's allegation that refusal to fly to SARS-affected region amounted to breach of service conditions and urged court to restrain the airline from taking further action. The petition may come up for hearing on May 2.