Akasa Air has taken legal action against 43 pilots who resigned without giving any notice. The airline insists that the pilots should not be allowed to join any other company until they have fulfilled the notice period stipulated in their contracts. Akasa Air has filed a lawsuit against 43 pilots who left the company without serving a six-month notice period.
The airline has petitioned the Bombay High Court to prevent these pilots from joining any other company until they have completed their contractual notice period. A spokesperson for Akasa Air stated, “We have sought legal recourse against a small group of pilots who abandoned their duties and left without completing their mandatory contractual notice period. This is not only a breach of their contract but also a violation of the country’s civil aviation regulations.”
“This is not only illegal but also unethical and selfish. It led to flight disruptions in August, causing last-minute cancellations that left thousands of passengers stranded, causing significant inconvenience to the public. Thankfully, this is now behind us, thanks to the hard work of our colleagues. As a young startup, we are proud of what every Akasian has helped us achieve in our first year of operation,” the statement added. Akasa Air, a relatively new player in India’s aviation industry, saw its domestic market share fall to 4.2% in August, down from 5.2% in July. This decline in market share was due to flight cancellations caused by some of its pilots choosing to join rival airlines over the past few months.
Data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) shows that Akasa Air dropped to sixth place in the rankings, falling behind SpiceJet, which has been dealing with financial difficulties. Akasa Air had overtaken SpiceJet in June of this year and maintained its lead in July. However, the airline’s market share slipped in August. In August, Akasa Air transported 527,000 passengers, down from the 624,000 passengers it carried in July. In contrast, SpiceJet transported 541,000 passengers in August, surpassing Akasa Air’s passenger numbers for the first time as the latter struggled with a shortage of pilots. In July, SpiceJet had transported 504,000 passengers.