Expat pilots seek salary dues from Paramount Airways

Mumbai: A group of Colombian and Panamanian pilots of Chennai-based Paramount Airways Ltd have been stranded in India because they haven’t been paid salaries for at least two months, forcing the Colombian envoy to step in.
Colombian ambassador Juan Alfredo Pinto Saavedra wrote on 3 May to the labour commissioner, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and Paramount on behalf of the five Colombian and four Panamanian pilots.
“One of my duties is to ensure that the rights of my fellow countrymen are not being violated,” the ambassador wrote in his letter. Saavedra confirmed to Mint that he had sent the letter, which cited “economic and operative difficulties” aggravated by the grounding of Paramount planes on court orders.
Three of the airline’s fleet of five Embraers have been pulled from service over payment disputes with GE Commercial Aviation Services and one because of engineering issues. Paramount also has a payment dispute with ECC Leasing Co. Ltd from which it had taken two planes on lease.
The aviation regulator last month started reviewing the airline licence of Paramount after its fleet strength fell short of the minimum five aircraft that it’s required to maintain.
05/05/10 Satish John and P.R. Sanjai/Live Mint

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Categories: Foreign May 2010, Paramount Airways May 2010