NEW DELHI: SpiceJet has sent 80 pilots — 40 of Boeing 737 and as many of turboprop Q400 — on leave without pay for three months as the airline has been running a truncated schedule of flights and has so far not seen any recapitalisation.
The aviation regulator had earlier this summer truncated the budget carrier’s flights to half of the approved schedule and had ordered any scaling up of operations will be allowed only when SpiceJet can show it has the recourses to safely do so.
The airline is currently operating about 300 daily flights with nearly 50 planes and has 800 pilots, with employees neither getting their PF for months now, nor the Form 16 of last fiscal so far. Airline sources say even the pilots who have not been sent on leave without pay “get a fraction of their salary with no certainty on when the same will be credited to their accounts and no word on their TDS or PF.”
A SpiceJet spokesperson said: “In a temporary measure to rationalise cost, SpiceJet has decided to place certain pilots on leave without pay for a period of three months. This measure, which is in line with SpiceJet’s policy of not retrenching any employee…, will help rationalise pilot strength vis-à-vis the aircraft fleet. SpiceJet had in 2019 inducted more than 30 aircraft (ex-Jet) following the grounding of the 737 MAX aircraft. The airline had continued with its planned pilot induction program in the hope that the MAX would be back in service soon. However, the prolonged grounding of the MAX fleet resulted in a large number of excess pilots at SpiceJet.”
“We will be inducting MAX aircraft shortly and these pilots will be back in service as the induction begins…. Even after placing certain pilots on leave without pay, SpiceJet will have sufficient number of pilots to operate its full schedule as and when the DGCA restriction on flights is lifted,” the spokesperson added.
SpiceJet has been saying since last winter that it will be inducting more B737 MAX but has not got even one extra MAX since then. Industry sources say the delay is primarily due to the airline’s alleged inability to fund more aircraft acquisition.
SpiceJet promoter Ajay Singh has been in stake sale talks with various players over past few months to raise funds to keep the airline afloat. However so far no recapitalisation has taken happened and the airline got a lifeline in the form of an ECLGS loan.
Several deep-in-red Indian airlines are now is struggling to survive amid competition from the well-funded biggies like Tata Group’s four carriers and IndiGo. New entrant Akasa is also quickly ramping up operations by inducting planes as scheduled.
The aviation regulator had earlier this summer truncated the budget carrier’s flights to half of the approved schedule and had ordered any scaling up of operations will be allowed only when SpiceJet can show it has the recourses to safely do so.
The airline is currently operating about 300 daily flights with nearly 50 planes and has 800 pilots, with employees neither getting their PF for months now, nor the Form 16 of last fiscal so far. Airline sources say even the pilots who have not been sent on leave without pay “get a fraction of their salary with no certainty on when the same will be credited to their accounts and no word on their TDS or PF.”
A SpiceJet spokesperson said: “In a temporary measure to rationalise cost, SpiceJet has decided to place certain pilots on leave without pay for a period of three months. This measure, which is in line with SpiceJet’s policy of not retrenching any employee…, will help rationalise pilot strength vis-à-vis the aircraft fleet. SpiceJet had in 2019 inducted more than 30 aircraft (ex-Jet) following the grounding of the 737 MAX aircraft. The airline had continued with its planned pilot induction program in the hope that the MAX would be back in service soon. However, the prolonged grounding of the MAX fleet resulted in a large number of excess pilots at SpiceJet.”
“We will be inducting MAX aircraft shortly and these pilots will be back in service as the induction begins…. Even after placing certain pilots on leave without pay, SpiceJet will have sufficient number of pilots to operate its full schedule as and when the DGCA restriction on flights is lifted,” the spokesperson added.
SpiceJet has been saying since last winter that it will be inducting more B737 MAX but has not got even one extra MAX since then. Industry sources say the delay is primarily due to the airline’s alleged inability to fund more aircraft acquisition.
SpiceJet promoter Ajay Singh has been in stake sale talks with various players over past few months to raise funds to keep the airline afloat. However so far no recapitalisation has taken happened and the airline got a lifeline in the form of an ECLGS loan.
Several deep-in-red Indian airlines are now is struggling to survive amid competition from the well-funded biggies like Tata Group’s four carriers and IndiGo. New entrant Akasa is also quickly ramping up operations by inducting planes as scheduled.
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