Pilot issues are behind us; airline 'dead set against' no-poaching pact for pilots: Akasa Air CEO
Akasa Air might be slowly coming out of the turbulence caused by sudden pilots' exits but the airline's chief Vinay Dube is «dead set against» the idea of having any kind of no-poaching agreement between airlines, asserting that it will not be right. The airline, which has been flying for more than a year, has more than 450 pilots and the number will go up as it expands the fleet from 20 aircraft now.
«We had about 330 pilots in April.
Approximately, 40 went away without (serving) notice period or with one day, two days or less than 24 hours. Today, we have little over 450 pilots… between April and today, we have probably added about a third of additional pilots despite a small number leaving,» Akasa Air Founder and CEO Vinay Dube told PTI.
Following the sudden exit of pilots, many of whom apparently joined another carrier, Akasa Air had to cancel some flights in July and August.
The carrier's market share also took a hit due to the cancellations.
Also, the airline has initiated legal action against the pilots concerned.
While noting that the exit of some pilots without serving their notice periods was something completely unprecedented, Dube said that he does not think anything is needed at the airline industry level to prevent such instances in the future.
«We got the judicial clarity. So, I don't think anything is required actually. The matter is behind us and really now, we are squarely in growth mode.
The expectation is that our network will grow by 10 per cent in December and then over 33 per cent by March. So, really this is not an issue and nothing is required,» he said in an interview.
To a query on whether there is a need for a no-poaching agreement among the airlines for pilots, the Akasa Air chief
