Won't let KFA fly if safety norms are flouted: Ajit Singh

Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh has warned Kingfisher Airlines that the company will not be allowed to fly if safety norms are flouted. The Aviation Minister categorically clarified that no Kingfisher flights would take off till the engineers certified on the safety of aircraft.

Reiterating passenger safety was the foremost concern, Singh said that the Vijay Mallya-promoted Kingfisher Airlines can be shut down if safety concerns arise. Singh's warning came after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) summoned Kingfisher CEO after all its flights are cancelled following a staff strike.

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Earlier on Monday the DGCA said that all Kingfisher flights were grounded after pilots refused to work over non-payment of salaries. Sources said that the Aviation Ministry will soon take a call on shutting down the airline that is facing a severe financial crisis.

Kingfisher cancelled all of its flights on Monday after its pilots and engineers refused to report to work. The airline in a statement said that it was taking all possible measures to lessen the impact of the employee strike.

The airline further said it would proactively cancel flights on Monday as it feared that a number of its employees may not report to work due to threats from other workers. "A section of employees of KFA has not been reporting for work over the last fortnight and over the past two days, they have been threatening and even manhandling the other employees who are reporting for work," said Prakash Mirpuri, a Kingfisher spokesman.

Kingfisher Airlines operations in Mumbai and Delhi were crippled as a section of airline engineers went on a flash strike over non-payment of salaries since March. The shares of Kingfisher Airlines tumbled by about 5 per cent after the company said it was cancelling flights due to employee unrest.