Kingfisher Airlines’ partial lockout extended till Oct 23, may resume operations on Nov 6

October 19, 2012   ·   0 Comments

NEW DELHI

Cash-strapped Kingfisher Airlines on Friday extended its partial lockout till October 23. Sources, however, say that operations may resume on November 6, “subject to the review and approval” of the airline company‘s “resumption plan by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)”.

The airline company said that it had submitted its reply to the DGCA‘s showcause notice and that it was now waiting for its response. If the DGCA does not find the airline company‘s reply satisfactory, its license can be suspended, sources said.

In a statement, the ailing airline company said that it had a “positive meeting” with employee representatives on Wednesday and were hopeful of reaching common ground at a meeting next week. The employees, however, maintain that their meeting was a failure. They said that they were offered their salaries for one month, which the employees promptly refused. The management and the employees are expected to meet again in Mumbai on Monday.

The Kingfisher Airlines has been grounded since September 29 after its pilots refused to report to work over unpaid salaries. Earlier this month, banks released around Rs 60 crore to KFA from an escrow account of service tax department on “humanitarian grounds” to pay salaries to the employees. The private airline‘s monthly wage bills stand around Rs 20 crore.

By Web Editor

Tags: airline, company, DGCA, meeting, Oct, Rs