KFA lenders' meet inconclusive: lockout likely till Oct 12

With stalemate over salary disbursement of employees continuing, the Kingfisher Airline management may have to extend its lockdown until October 12, 2012, reports CNBC-TV18.

The KFA management met with engineers and pilots in New Delhi on Wednesday as well as today to discuss salary issues, but both meetings ended without any solution. The management could not give any assurance to its striking pilots and engineers regarding diptach of salaries, which are due since March 2012.

Meanwhile, lenders of Kingfisher Airlines are expected to hold an emergency meeting today.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) too submitted a report on Wednesday in which it is understood to have referred to the six-day strike by engineers and pilots over non-payment of salaries, followed by the partial lockout declared by the management. The report stated that safety of operations has been seriously jeopardised due to the strike.

Prakash Mirpuri, vice-president, corporate communications, Kingfisher Airlines, clarified," On October 1, 2012, Kingfisher Airlines Ltd was forced to declare a partial lockout in view of the illegal strike perpetrated and continued by a faction of technicians, AMEs and pilots."

"We regret that the illegal strike has still not been withdrawn and normalcy has not been restored in the company, thereby continuing to cripple and paralyse the working of the entire airline."
 
"In light of this, Kingfisher Airlines Ltd. has been constrained to extend the partial lock-out which commenced from Monday evening (October 1, 2012) up to Friday, October 12 or up to such earlier date on which the said illegal strike is called off and the management is informed about the same."

Cash-and-debt-strapped Kingfisher, once India's second-largest airline, has grounded its fleet since Monday after a protest by engineers over the weekend turned violent, according to the airline.

(With inputs from Reuters)