SpiceJet sends 80 pilots on 3-month leave without pay

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 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. There is also uncertainty about the company's financial situation after three months. There is no assurance if those forced to go on leave will Even be called back," a pilot told PTI.