Airlines
Akasa Air moves court against 43 pilots who quit without any notice
According to sources, Akasa Air has filed a lawsuit in the Bombay High Court against more than 40 pilots for breach of contract, alleging that they left the start-up carrier without giving the required six months’ notice. Due to these resignations over the past few weeks, Akasa Air was obliged to halt a number of its flights. According to reports, the majority of these pilots accepted job offers from Air India Express.
The 13-month-old airline has reportedly asked for crores of rupees in compensation from each pilot for the loss of operating revenues and reputational harm caused by their sudden leaving, in addition to asking that these pilots be prohibited from working for competing airlines, according to reports. It is also said that Akasa Air asked the Ministry of Civil Aviation and sector regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for assistance in the situation.
While Akasa Air acknowledged that it had filed a lawsuit against a few pilots, it did not provide information on how many specific pilots were involved or the specifics of the damages that were sought. “We have only requested legal action against a small group of pilots who quit their jobs without giving the serving their mandatory contractual notice as required by their contracts.
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In addition to being against the law, this behavior is also immoral and self-serving. In August, it forced last-minute cancellations that left hundreds of passengers stranded and caused great annoyance to the traveling public. We appreciate our coworkers’ dedication and hard work. We are proud of what each Akasian has contributed to us building in our first year of operations as a new start-up’, the statement continued.
