India's once-booming airline industry is floundering as cash-strapped companies, some racking up steep losses, struggle to meet their financial obligations. Hundreds of unpaid and partially paid pilots are flying India's skies, and dozens are flying from India to international destinations, airline analysts say.
Here's a quick look at which airlines are writing paychecks (and which ones aren't):
Air India: International pilots have threatened to strike on April 1 in a letter to India's airline regulatory authority dated March 6, which claims they have not been paid for several months. Pilots have not received basic salaries since December and other bonuses since November, amounting to more than one-quarter of their annual pay, the letter says.
Many pilots are from "humble backgrounds and modest means" it notes, who took out loans to go to flight school or are supporting parents and siblings. "The lack of income is causing "psychological stress" which "may adversely affect ability of the flight crew" to safely perform their duties, the letter notes.
An Air India spokesman said Tuesday that last week pilots were paid their salaries through January, but are still owed some other compensation. There is no difference between domestic and international pilots' pay schedules, he said.
Kingfisher Airways: Not since December. Kingfisher said Monday that it cancelled 55 of its 200 flights after the International Air Transport Association, an industry trade group which allows airlines to partner with each other to make it easier for passengers to book tickets, suspended Kingfisher's membership and pilots went on strike.
Jet Airways: Yes, but a little late. International pilots say the airline, which flies to New York via Brussels, is paying basic salaries on the 15th of every month, rather than the 1st as it used to. The airline has promised pilots that from April onward they will be paid on the 1st. Jet Airways owes money to India's tax authorities, who have demanded Jet's share of IATA collections to cover the bill.
Spice Jet: "We pay all our employees on time. From a pilot to everyone in the organization," a spokesman said.
IndiGo: Pilots are "absolutely" being paid on time, a company spokeswoman says.
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