Akasa Air in near-crisis,.43 pilots resign; plans to cancel 700 flights
Akasa Air in near-crisis,.43 pilots resign; plans to cancel 700 flights
Frequent fliers of Akasa Air have a bad news as 43 pilots tender their resignation which has forced the carrier to cancel 24 flights per day in September.
According to Akasa Air, the ‘baby’ of Rakesh Jhunjhunwala,t is in near-crisis and likely to shut down.
It is learnt that 43 pilots of the carrier left the airline to join a rival group.
In August, the airline had cancelled 700 flights and expects to cancel as many in Sept
Notedly, Akasa Air, in a statement, added that they are prepared for “unforeseen circumstances and have contingency management strategies. They also said that they have a strong financial profile.
According to a report in a financial newspaper, Business, the pilots did not serve their mandatory notice period of 6 months (for first officers) or 1 year (for captains) and as per
the airline’s counsel to Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora.
Akasa Air was left with no option but forcefully cancel scores of flights each day.
The pilots have reportedly joined Akasa Air’s rival airlines. The report, citing sources, states that a top executive wrote a letter to a rival group expressing the airline’s concerns over the pilots’ exit and called it unethical.
As it stands, Akasa Air, that operates 120 flights a day, is expecting to cancel 600-700 flights this month alone if the resignations continue. I
It had cancelled 700 flights in August. The airline has requested the court to empower Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to enforce the mandatory notice period rules.
Reportedly the airline is seeking to initiate penal action against the pilots and seeks around
Rs 22 crore as compensation for loss of revenue owing to cancellation and groundings of flights.
The airline, while acknowledging the shortage of pilots, in a statement on Wednesday revealed that they are pleased to note that their disciplined approach has helped them to be well established with a strong financial profile to execute on our ambitious plans.
The airline created by its team has generated cash from its first day of operations as a result of which the initial investment by our investors (including the investment made by Jhunjhunwala) continues to remain secure in their bank account.
As a young airline, they feel proud that in adding to the company reserves even in the first year of our operations.
Last week the airline had stated that it is seeking legal recourse against the pilots who left without serving their contractual notice period. The airlines has sought legal remedy only against a small set of pilots who abandoned their duties and left without serving their mandatory contractual
.
This was not only in violation of their contract but also the country’s civil aviation regulation. Moreover, it is not only is this illegal in law but also an unethical and selfish act that disrupted flights in August forcing last minute cancellations that stranded thousands of customers causing significant inconvenience to the travelling public.
The Airline spokesperson also advocated that , fortunately, that is behind them now. Thanks to the hard work of their colleagues. As a young start up, they are proud of what every Akasian has helped them build in the first year of their operations, further adding that this kind of behaviour is “deeply disrespectful to the hard work of our entire team which shows up to work, everyday with utmost integrity.
News Edit K.V.Raman
