Kingfisher Crisis Ends; Management To Pay Four Month Salary, Vijay Mallya Saves His Face

The crisis in Kingfisher Airlines ended Thursday as the management succumbed to the employees’ demand and agreed to pay four months’ salary dues before the year end.

The employees accepted the managements’ offer and decided to resume work with the immediate effect. “All our employees will resume work on Thursday, including the pilots and engineers. We will now on continue to work together,” airline CEO Sanjay Aggarwal told reporters after holding separate meetings with the striking pilots and engineers at the airport in New Delhi, PTI reported.

The employees, who had earlier dismissed the management’s proposal of a staggered payment of three months salaries, announced that they were resuming work. “We are joining duty from today. We have accepted the management’s proposal for a staggered payment of four months’ salary dues by December,” S.C. Mishra, who was spearheading the employees strike, was quoted as saying by the NDTV.

The pressure had mounted on the liquor baron- Vijay Mallya controlled airline after its employees said they would protest against Mallya at the venue of the India Grand Prix Formula 1 event to be held at Greater Noida, near Delhi, this week.

The F1 event is prestigious for Mallya, who co-owns an F1 team with Sahara India group and is expected to attend the event. It would be humiliating for Mallya, who is known for his flamboyant lifestyle, if he were to face the agitating employees at the F1 venue.  

The cash-strapped airline has grounded all its flights since Oct 1 as its employees refused to work till the salaries pending from March were paid,  leading to the suspension of its flying license by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).   

The airlines expressed hopes that the services would be resumed next month. However, it has to satisfy the DGCA with a sound revival plan to get its suspension cancelled.