New Delhi: The crisis at Kingfisher Airlines worsened on Monday as pilots and other employees started a no-pay-no-work agitation, forcing the carrier to to cancel nearly 50 flights.
This does not portend well for flyers as unpaid pilots of Air India (both domestic and international) have also decided to resort to a similar strike from April 1. If that happens, and the Kingfisher strike doesn't end by then, the availability of seats would further fall, leading to a steep rise in ticket prices.
AI and Kingfisher together account for nearly one-third of all domestic flights.
A statement issued by Kingfisher on Monday said: "Kingfisher operated 145 flights (out of its highly truncated daily schedule of almost 200 flights)... All guests were notified in advance and preparations for ensuring that we operate at least 80% of our schedule were made." The statement blamed the delay in paying salaries on freezing of Kingfisher's accounts by the tax authorities.
While passengers booked on Kingfisher in the coming days face uncertainty, the aviation ministry is watching the situation helplessly. Aviation ministry say it can do nothing more than ensuring the safety of flights.
13/03/12 Times of India
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