Faced with mounting staff unrest and with operations in disarray, Kingfisher Airlines has pleaded with its pilots not to disrupt flights and worsen the situation.
In an e-mail to pilots, Senior Vice-President Captain Ron Nagar wrote: “I understand that the delay in salaries is a huge concern. However, not accepting flights and not answering calls for roster only disrupt our daily operations and worsen the situation. This is peak season for aviation and most of our flights are going full. The revenue generated from your efforts by operating flights will help the airline recover.”
While acknowledging the difficulties being faced by the employees and their families, the mail adds that the management was “working very hard” to find a “permanent and foolproof solution to this situation.” Kingfisher pilots are an agitated lot as they have not been paid salaries for the last three months.
The mail has been sent as more employees are planning to strike work next week to protest non-payment of wages. However, what is making the situation difficult for Kingfisher employees is that they do not have a union and so cannot work on a united plan of action. In the last few weeks, the airline's employees have protested in various parts of the country because of delay in salary payments. In late February, the airline's operations across the country were affected as staff members walked off their posts protesting non-payment of salaries for two successive months.