A section of the pilots of the fledgling Akasa Air has approached the civil aviation ministry alleging mismanagement, favouritism, harassment, and compromised safety standards in the airline’s pilot training and evaluation processes. Reacting to the development, Akasa Air dismissed the allegations and termed them as “baseless and untrue”.
The pilots wrote to Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on December 11, listing their grouses and concerns, and requested an immediate independent investigation into the carrier’s management practices, training methods, and safety standards, it is learnt. A copy of the letter was also marked to the aviation safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which had fined Akasa Air in October for certain lapses in crew training.
Akasa Air, while having been operational for just over two years, has had problems related to pilots earlier as well. Last year in September, the carrier even took some pilots to court for breach of contract, alleging that they quit the airline without serving the regulation six-month notice period. Around that time, Akasa Air was forced to cancel a number of its flights due to such resignations.
The airline claims high job satisfaction levels and low attrition among its pilots, even as the unhappy pilots claimed in their letter to Naidu that 84 of Akasa Air pilots resigned on a day’s notice.
“We categorically deny these allegations as baseless and untrue. Nor do they represent the views of Akasa pilots. At Akasa Air, our commitment to employee centricity is at the heart of everything we do. Our monthly employee survey reveals that pilots, amongst all employee groups have consistently reported the highest levels of job satisfaction, highlighting the effectiveness of our supportive culture. This dedication is further evidenced by the minimal number of pilots seeking opportunities outside of Akasa Air throughout 2024,” an Akasa Air spokesperson said.
“For context, 324 pilots have joined Akasa since October 2023. During this same period, we have recorded an annualised attrition of less than 1 per cent for this employee group,” the airline’s spokesperson added.
The unhappy pilots have alleged that a few senior airline officials, mainly examiners and instructrs, subjected them to harassment and humiliation during training sessions, and were biased in assessments and unprofessional in conduct, it is learnt. These pilots are also understood to have alleged an unusually high failure rate in pilots’ simulator and aircraft evaluations, biased assessments, violation of DGCA norms, and hiring and promotion of pilots deemed unfit and unsatisfactory by other airlines.
Apart from seeking an independent investigation into Akasa Air’s management practices, training methods, and safety standards, the unhappy pilots are also learnt to have sought a detailed review of the airline’s DGCA-designated examiners and instructors, and a safety audit to address their concerns over allegedly unfit pilots holding key positions.
Why should you buy our Subscription?
You want to be the smartest in the room.
You want access to our award-winning journalism.
You don’t want to be misled and misinformed.
Choose your subscription package
