Debt-laden Kingfisher Airlines (KFA) has urged its employees, who are on strike over unpaid wages, to return to work.
“Without all of you, without exception, coming back to work, we will have no way forward,” KFA CEO Sanjay Aggarwal told employees in an email. The airline has suspended operations till October 12 after its entire fleet was grounded following a strike by employees. The lockout may be extended to October 20, it has said.

The ailing carrier faces the prospect of being shut down by the government after the aviation regulator issued a show-cause notice.

The directorate general of civil aviation had asked the airline why its permit should not be cancelled or suspended as it had failed to “establish a safe, efficient and reliable service”.

“Unless we can keep our operations going, we will not be able to rectify the situation. We need you to help us to have any chance of getting back to normalcy. DGCA has issued us a show cause notice due to disruptions which resulted in inconvenience to travelling public,” Aggarwal wrote.

Striking employees said it was strange that despite the lockout and the DGCA notice, the company remained non-committal on paying salaries.

“We have read in newspapers that banks have agreed to release money. Then what is stopping them from paying our salaries?” questioned a pilot.