Low-cost carrier Akasa Air has moved court against 43 pilots for not completing a notice period of six months after quitting the organisation, according to an ET report.
In a plea in the Bombay High Court, the airline said the pilots should be prevented from joining any new organisation till the time they complete the mandatory notice period as per their agreement.
Akasa Air spokesperson said in a statement, “We have sought legal remedy only against a small set of pilots who abandoned their duties and left without serving their mandatory contractual notice period. This was not only in violation of their contract but also the country’s civil aviation regulation.”
“Not only is this illegal in law but also an unethical and selfish act that disrupted flights in August forcing last-minute cancellations that stranded thousands of customers causing significant inconvenience to the travelling public. Fortunately, that is behind us now. Thanks to the hard work of our colleagues. As a young start up, we are proud of what every Akasian has helped us build in the first year of our operations,” the statement added.
Akasa Air, the relatively new entrant in India’s aviation industry, saw its domestic market share drop to 4.2% in August, down from July’s 5.2%. The decline in market share was attributed to flight cancellations resulting from the departure of some of its pilots who had chosen to join rival airlines over the past few months.
According to data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Akasa Air slipped to the sixth position in the rankings, falling behind SpiceJet, which has been facing financial challenges.
Akasa Air had surged ahead of SpiceJet in June of this year, maintaining its lead in July. However, the airline’s market share faltered in August. During the month of August, Akasa Air transported 527,000 passengers, a decrease from the 624,000 passengers it carried in July. In contrast, SpiceJet carried 541,000 passengers in August, surpassing Akasa Air’s passenger numbers for the first time, as the latter had to grapple with pilot shortages. In July, SpiceJet had carried 504,000 passengers.
