A temporary measure to rationalise costs, the move comes as the budget carrier has been battling a financial crisis
Budget carrier SpiceJet on Tuesday said it has asked 80 of its pilots to go on a three-month leave – without pay.
The move is a temporary measure to rationalise cost, the Gurgaon-headquartered airline said.
"This measure, which is in line with SpiceJet's policy of not retrenching any employee – which the airline steadfastly followed even during the peak of the Covid pandemic – will help rationalise the pilot strength vis-à-vis the aircraft fleet," the budget carrier said in a statement.
The pilots who have been forced to go on leave without pay are from the airline's Boeing and Bombardier fleet.
Earlier on Tuesday, a section of pilots went into a tizzy over the decision of the financially-embattled airline.
"The financial crisis of the airline was known to us, but the suddenness of the decision has shocked many of us", a pilot said.
"There is no certainty about the company's financial situation after three months. There is no assurance that those forced to go on leave will even be called back."
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