Kingfisher Declares Airline Shutdown Until Thursday

Kingfisher Airlines plane grounded

Kingfisher Airlines announced they have suspended all flight operations until Thursday due to numerous employee strikes as well as worker revolt and violence.

Kingfisher, which has struggled to even pay most of its employees in months as it drowns in debt, shut down operations yesterday.

‘In a statement, the Vijay Mallya-owned private carrier said it has been forced to declare a “partial lockout” following a series of “protracted and unabated incidents of violence, criminal intimidation, assault, wrongful restraint and other illegal acts” including refraining from attending work, by a small section of “recalcitrant” employees.

“It has been decided that flight operations will be suspended for the next 3 days, i.e. until October 4, 2012,” it added.

The operations got completely paralysed [yesterday] after pilots and some other staff joined the striking engineers protesting non-payment of salaries for the last six months, sending the shares of the airline tumbling by 5 per cent.

Before commencing legal action, the airline said it will make efforts to continue to engage with striking employees to persuade them not to indulge in any intimidatory tactics.

The management earlier in the day warned of a temporary shutdown, citing lack of funds to pay salaries even for a month.’

The Indian goverment has ruled out stepping in to shut down the airline stating, “the government is not in the business of shutting down businesses,” as that will “create lot of problems. Even with the 3 percent market share Kingfisher has, such a move will create a havoc.”

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