Kingfisher pays May salary to low-rung staff

The grounded Kingfisher Airlines today started paying salary for the month of May to its lower level staff and some cabin crew while there was no word about salary dues of pilots and engineers.

"Only cabin crew and low rung staff have received their May salary," pilots and engineers said, adding "we still have no word from the airline about our dues."

Vijya Mallya-owned private carrier, which is on the edge of bankruptcy with its flying licence suspended, had committed that the salary dues till May would be paid by Diwali.

As the management failed to meet its promise, employees representatives had threatened to chalk out action plan if they did not receive the May salary by November 17.

The regulator DGCA had suspended Kingfisher's flying licence on October 19 till further orders after a lockout and its failure to come up with a viable plan to revive the airline.

The bankers to Kingfisher have also warned the airline to arrange for more capital by November 30, though Mallya has denied any deadline issued by the lenders to his company.

Kingfisher has accumulated losses of about Rs9,000 crore as on September 30.