Kingfisher Pilots Quit, Cancels Flights

More than half of the senior pilots that fly for Kingfisher Airlines have reportedly quit, while the carrier is only operating 16 of its 64 aircraft. This recent news comes as the chief executive and top officials were called on by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to explain the large disruption to its services.

Last Tuesday, 35 of Kingfisher’s A320 captains put in their papers and joined rival IndiGo the following day. This was a blow to the airline already, but then another 15 pilots quit the carrier over the weekend. Total, between 300 and 350 of Kingfisher’s commanders have resigned in the last six months.

Industry experts say the departure of 50 pilots in a week will likely affect the company’s A320 flights. Meanwhile, the airline cancelled over 50% of its Monday services during the third day of a mass cancellation crisis. In a statement, the carrier said that they have adequate numbers of crew to operate their schedule. The main reason for the current disruption is the sudden attachment of their bank accounts by the I-T department, which has significantly affected their ability to make operational payments.

The DGCA has called on executives to explain the situation. Chief EK Bharat Bhushan said that they have received reports about substantial cancellations. The carrier is bound to inform them when their schedule is reduced, but they haven’t done that. They have sent messages to all carriers to accommodate all the passengers that have been stranded because of these cancellations, which has to be done without increasing fares, he added.

Kingfisher’s chief executive and other officials are due to appear before the DGCA today to give an explanation for the more than 20 flights that were cancelled on Monday. This followed about 80 flights being cancelled on Sunday, which left hundreds of passengers stranded, while the carrier hasn’t filed a report on the number of services it has cancelled since Friday. It says that it has cancelled some its operations due to its planes suffering from encounters with birds. It started cancelling flights when it held discussions with bankers to finalise an agreement for funds. This followed the airline posting a loss of Rs 444 crore for the third quarter.

The DGCA has collected information from every centre, and the regulator has decided to take action under rule 140(A) of the Aircraft Rules, 1937 based on this information. This rule stipulates that operators have to get approval from the regulator before curtailing their flight schedules. Kingfisher has admitted to curtailment in its operations, saying that such a circumstance will continue for the next four days. A spokesman noted that they are due to operate a full schedule on their booking system within the next four days.

Meanwhile, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh has taken a hit at Kingfisher Airlines, making it clear that the government won’t bail the company out. He said the government isn’t going to support any bailout, adding that it’s not going to ask the private industry or banks for the funds. The DGCA is inquiring into the flights situation, so let’s see what reply the airline’s management gives.