Kingfisher Airlines management has begun salary payments to its 3,000 employees after having failed to keep its Diwali deadline. On Friday the airline's junior employees including ground staff, cabin crew and security employees received the salary of month of May. However engineers, pilots and senior management executives are yet to receive it.
"We expect salaries of all employees to be paid by Monday or Tuesday. The company has promised to pay us a months' salary before Christmas. However it is not yet clear whether that will be for month of June or October,'' a Kingfisher employee said. The airline spokesperson refused comment.
The airline, which is grounded since October 1 after its engineers and pilots went on strike demanding payment of their salary dues, had not paid its employees since May this year. The employees, however, called off their strike late last month after the airline's chief executive, Sanjay Agarwal pleaded them to return to work and assured that they will receive their three-month salaries in staggered schedule by Diwali. Aviation regulator DGCA suspended Kingfisher's operations permit and asked the airlines to submit a revival plan if it wants to fly again. The airline has sought additional time from the DGCA to submit its revival plan.
