Akasa Air on the Verge of Shutdown, Delhi High Court Told
Newly launched Akasa Air is in crisis following the resignations of 43 pilots, the airline told the Delhi High Court on Tuesday. The sudden resignations of the pilots, without serving their mandatory notice period, have compelled the airline to cancel a large number of flights each day, which may lead to the airline being grounded, the airline”s counsel told Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora.
In a letter to rival groups, a top Akasa executive accused the pilots of having joined the rival groups and called their actions unethical. Akasa Air may have to cancel 600-700 flights this month if the resignations continue. It has already cancelled 700 flights in August.
The airline has requested the court to urge the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to enforce the mandatory notice period rules. The airline is also seeking compensation of around 22 crore from the pilots for causing revenue loss due to the cancellations. The company has also intended to take penal actions against the pilots.
Last week, the airline had stated that it was seeking legal recourse against the pilots who left without serving their contractual notice period. “We have sought legal remedy only against a small set of pilots who abandoned their duties and left without serving their mandatory contractual notice period,” an Akasa Air spokesperson had said. “This was not only in violation of their contract but also the country”s civil aviation regulation. 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 traveling public.”
The spokesperson also said, “Fortunately, that is behind us now. Thanks to the hard work of our colleagues. As a young start-up, we are proud of what every Akasian has helped us build in the first year of our operations,” further adding that this kind of behavior is “deeply disrespectful to the hard work of our entire team which shows up to work, every day with utmost integrity.”
