I usually prefer not speculating about things going bad at an airline, trying to give the longest rope to the airline in the absence of facts. However, it looks like this time the facts are not on Kingfisher Airlines’ side. Like I mentioned yesterday, Kingfisher Airlines is now in industrial action, undergoing a situation where all the flights are grounded, however the airline prefers to call it a partial lockout.
The airline’s CEO reportedly met about a 100-odd staff today in Mumbai, trying to buy time (one more time!) from the staff. While the staff have refused to work without all their dues being cleared for the past 7 months, the regulator DGCA has also asked them to pay all the pending dues as a pre-condition to being given the permission to fly again, today the airline CEO asked for “20 more days to clear the March 2012 dues?”
Reuters and other media who are in the know of the outcome of the meeting are now reporting that the airline looks set for a prolonged grounding, one that will make it increasingly difficult to revive it one more time. At this moment, the airline is publicly hoping, that it will be back on its feet by October 4 but looks like it will take a lot longer than that to bring it back from this coma.
What do you think, is it time to call it quits or will there be one more time a Kingfisher airlines?
My previous coverage of the Kingfisher Airlines and disruptions
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I think Mallya is ditched by Indian Government and with present Indian Economy Cloud, only hope is some Foreign Investment buys the Airline. Very sad to see a Nice Airline grounded.