The pilots are seeking directive to waive the six-month notice period before resigning
About a dozen pilots of Kingfisher Airlines have petitioned the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) seeking a directive to the airline to waive the mandatory six-month notice before quitting.
The pilots said they were seeking the waiver as the airline had already breached their contracts by altering some service conditions, including changes in the salary structure.
“We have petitioned the DGCA that Kingfisher should not be allowed to invoke the civil aviation requirement (CAR) of 2005, which entails a six-month prior notice for quitting, on the ground that our service contracts have been changed unilaterally,” a petitioner said here.
When contacted, a Kingfisher Airlines spokesperson declined to comment on the issue.
The pilots had put in their papers and were joining other carriers, but the airline was not relieving them, citing the six-month notice clause, the petitioner said.
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A senior DGCA official confirmed that the pilots have approached them.
“Yes, I think they have... The petition will be heard on Monday,” the official said. The pilots, who have quit Mallya’s airline, include five from Delhi and two each from Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.
In 2005, the government had made it mandatory for pilots to give a six-month notice before quitting any airline.
“The CAR was put in place to prevent last-minute resignations by pilots. However, the airline is misusing it to stop us from joining other airlines,” the petitioner alleged.
Kingfisher Airline pilots have been up in arms against the management for quite some time now over alleged changes in their service contracts, especially after the airline slashed their salaries by Rs 80,000 in February this year. The airline had then justified the salary cut by saying that “it was moving towards a productivity-linked compensation structure”.
“They have revised the whole salary package downward unilaterally, which is a clear breach of contract,” he said.
“Besides, other benefits have also been lowered like accommodation, transport and even training quality,” he said.