Kingfisher’s troubles deepen: no flying until wages paid, aviation minister not happy

Kingfisher Airlines, the Indian carrier that’s grounded its fleet and not paid staff since April, must settle wages before it can resume flights, according to an official at the nation’s civil aviation ministry.

The airline’s management was told about the requirement at a meeting yesterday, said the official…Half of the carrier’s staff have been paid for March and the rest will get these wages soon, Kingfisher’s CEO Sanjay Aggarwal told reporters after the meeting in New Delhi. He didn’t comment on pay for subsequent months.

Times Of India: The civil aviation minister, Ajit Singh, on Tuesday warned Kingfisher that the regulator cannot ignore frequent cancellation of flights due to employee agitation in the first sign that the government is getting increasingly irritated. “While the issue of passenger safety is paramount and cannot be jeopardised and DGCA needs to be satisfied that there are no safety concerns, Kingfisher has to also ensure that they operate flights as per the schedule they have submitted to the DGCA.”