Kingfisher Airlines is likely to go in for massive job cuts since the airline is unable to pay the salaries of its employees for the past few months.
Sources confirmed that a certain percentage of job-cuts was “inevitable” given that the airline had drastically slashed its flight schedule and was now operating wi-th only 16 of its 64 aircraft.
Meanwhile, speculation is rife that the airline could be shut do-wn gradually in a pha-sed manner after keeping the government in the loop while initiating the process of shu-tting down the airli-ne’s stations across the country.
The DGCA has also not yet submitted its much-awaited report on whether the operating licence of the airline should be suspended or not.
So far as job-cuts are concerned, the emplo-yees of the airline have not received sala-ries for several mon-ths and the DGCA had also recently questio-ned the lack of clear assurances from the airline on when the sa-laries would be paid.
While there has been speculation that as much as half of Kingf-isher employees could be sacked, sources felt the actual percentage of job cuts would be lower than 50 per cent. But in any case, dro-ves of the airlines’ sta-ff have already quit.
Kingfisher stops services from lucknow
In a significant turn of events, Kingfisher Airli-nes has pulled out all its flights from Lucknow to Delhi and Mumbai.
Airport officials said the airlines had also closed its counters at the Amausi airport from Sunday night and the staff at the ticketing cou-nters have also stopped reporting at the airport.
Kingfisher operated two flights daily from Lucknow to Delhi and Mumbai but the occupancy levels remained low due to uncertainty over airline operations.
Airline officials said the tickets of passengers who were booked in adv-ance would be refunded and messages had alrea-dy been sent to such passengers with regard to the shelving of flights.
Airport director Atul Dixit confirmed that Ki-ngfisher flights to Mum-bai and New Delhi were no longer operational from Lucknow but refu-sed to say if the airline had permanently wound up operations from here.
“We have no further information on this issue,” he said on Monday.
Authorised travel age-nts selling Kingfisher tic-kets have also been ask-ed to stop issuing tickets.
“We have been asked not to issue Kingfisher tickets but no further information about future operations,” said a authorised travel agent.