Akasa Air, the newly launched Indian airline, is in crisis, as its 43 pilots left without notice to join rival airlines, the airline told the Delhi High Court on Tuesday. The unexpected resignation of pilots has pushed the airline to cancel 24 flights per day in September. In an official statement, the airline said that they are geared up for unforeseen circumstances, have contingency management strategies, and have a strong financial profile.
A report by Business Standard revealed that as the pilots haven’t completed their compulsory notice period of 6 months (for first officers) or 1 year (for captains), the carrier has to cancel a significant number of flights each day. As per the reports, the pilots have joined the rival airlines of Akasa Air, and the top executive wrote a letter to a rival airline to address Akasa Air’s concern over the pilot’s resignation and termed it ‘unethical’.
Akasa Air, which usually operates 120 flights in a day, cancelled 700 flights in August and is expecting to cancel 600-700 flights in September if the resignation spree continues. The airline has submitted a request to the Delhi High Court to designate the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to implement the obligatory notice period rules.
The airline is reportedly aiming to take disciplinary action against the pilots and is desiring around Rs 22 crore as a settlement for loss of earnings owing to cancellation and groundings of flights.
