Abhishek Law /
Debt-ridden budget airline, SpiceJet has placed some 80–odd pilots on leave without pay as the airline eyes cost rationalisation, those aware of the matter said.
Operations of the aircraft will not be hit, the company added.
Some of the pilots across its Boeing 737 fleet and Bombardier Q400 fleet have been put on leave without pay for a period of three months. These pilots will be taken back “shortly” as the company begins induction of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into its fleet.
According to a company statement, this is a “temporary measure to rationalise cost” and is a result of the airline having a “large number of excess pilots”. The carrier, however, did not confirm the number of pilots who would be put on leave without pay.
“SpiceJet has decided to place certain pilots on leave without pay for a period of three months. This measure, which is in line with the company’s policy of not retrenching any employee which the airline steadfastly followed even during the peak of the Covid pandemic. (It) will help rationalise the pilot strength vis-à-vis the aircraft fleet,” the company said.
The airline currently has a fleet size of 60-odd aircraft. Some of the Bombardier aircraft are grounded for want of spares.
Pilot induction
The Ajay Singh-owned carrier had in 2019 inducted more than 30 aircraft. And, despite grounding of the 737 MAX aircraft, the airline continued with its planned pilot induction program hoping that the aircraft would be back in service soon.
“However, the prolonged grounding of the MAX fleet resulted in a large number of excess pilots at SpiceJet,” a company official said.
The company will be inducting MAX aircraft shortly and these pilots will be back in service once the induction begins, the official added.
During the leave without pay period, pilots will remain eligible for all other employee benefits as applicable that include all-opted insurance benefits and employee leave travel.
Restrictions on Flying
“Even after placing certain pilots on leave without pay, SpiceJet will have sufficient numbers to operate full schedule as and when the DGCA restriction on flights is lifted,” the statement mentioned.
The airline was restricted to operate flights up to 50 per cent of its capacity as per a July 27 order by the country’s civil aviation regulator. Operations were to be curtailed for eight weeks beginning July 27, during which it will remain under the regulator’s enhanced surveillance.
The debt-ridden airline reported a loss of ₹789 crore in Q1FY23 (April-June period) as compared to the year-ago period when losses were to the tune of ₹729 crore. The company recently announced the appointment of Ashish Kumar as its chief financial officer.