The correspondence directed to DGCA Faiz Ahmed Kidwai indicated that CEO Dube appears to lack authority over the company. More than 40 pilots, 200 crew members, and 35 engineers have departed from the organization.
Significant issues are emerging at Akasa Air, an airline founded by the late billionaire trader Rakesh Jhunjhunwala along with two partners in December 2021.
A faction of pilots at Akasa Air has claimed that the airline’s CEO and co-founder, Vinay Dube, seems to lack control over the organization. They also asserted that Captain Floyd Gracious, the Vice President of Akasa Air, has brought in his associates from Jet Airways and assigned them to crucial leadership roles.
These claims were elaborated upon in an email dispatched on Thursday (January 9) to Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu Kinjarapu, requesting his intervention.
The communication was additionally forwarded to the Director General of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, and the Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Vumlunmang Vualnam.
“In his recent interview, CEO Mr. Dube expressed a desire to make Akasa Air one of the finest workplaces, aiming for world-class standards in safety, customer service, and an employee-focused approach, among other goals. Unfortunately, these aspirations have faded, and the airline has become a subject of ridicule within the aviation community, with Mr. Dube seemingly lacking authority over the company. More than 40 pilots, 200 crew members, and 35 engineers have left to join other organizations. Instead of addressing their internal problems, the company opted to pursue legal action against these individuals,” stated the letter.
Recent addition to a series of grievances
The letter further mentioned that while Akasa Air asserted that it has taken legal action against the pilots who departed for violating legal agreements, it should be emphasized that the company could not pursue claims against 42 pilots as their departures were completely legitimate.
“An investigation would reveal that numerous engineers opted to resign after paying bond fees due to their inability to tolerate unfair practices,” the letter noted.
Since its inception, Akasa Air and its pilots have been in conflict. In a letter dated December 11 addressed to aviation minister Naidu, a subset of pilots called for an independent investigation into the management practices, training methodologies, and safety standards of the airline. Akasa subsequently claimed it enjoys the highest levels of job satisfaction.
More recently, the aviation regulator DGCA has reprimanded the airline on several occasions. In late December, the DGCA imposed a six-month suspension on both the director of operations and the director of training at Akasa Air due to alleged shortcomings in pilot training protocols.
A few days ago, the regulator revoked the Line Training Captain approval granted to an Akasa Air pilot due to lapses during the landing of a passenger aircraft in March 2024, pending further directives. In October, DGCA had levied a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Akasa Air due to specific deficiencies in crew training.
The pilots raised concerns about a significant failure rate among their peers, asserting that 216 pilots did not pass simulator and aircraft evaluations. They further noted that 84 pilots had resigned with only one day’s notice.
What did Akasa Air say?
In a statement, Akasa Air refuted the claims made by the pilots. “We firmly reject these allegations as unfounded and false. Furthermore, they do not reflect the sentiments of Akasa pilots,” an airline spokesperson stated on Saturday, as reported by news agency PTI.
The budget airline also mentioned that 324 pilots have joined its ranks since October 2023. During this timeframe, the airline reported an annualised attrition rate of less than 1 percent for this group of employees.
Akasa Air highlighted that its monthly employee surveys indicate that pilots, compared to other employee groups, have consistently shown the “highest levels of job satisfaction, underscoring the effectiveness of our nurturing culture.”
“This commitment is further illustrated by the few pilots pursuing opportunities outside of Akasa Air throughout 2024,” it continued.
DGCA denies Akasa Air’s request
On 10 December, the DGCA rejected Akasa Air’s appeal to be exempt from deploying CAT-III-trained pilots on flights to and from two major airports affected by fog for specific durations due to a lack of such pilots.
The aviation authority instructed Akasa Air to promptly adhere to its requirement to deploy only CAT-III-trained pilots at all six major fog-affected airports, even as it evaluated the airline’s requests for certain exemptions. Importantly, pilots trained on CAT-III instrument landing systems are capable of landing in low-visibility conditions at airports equipped with these systems. In October of this year, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Akasa Air due to various deficiencies in the training of its crew.
At present, Akasa Air operates a fleet of 26 aircraft and serves 27 destinations, including five international cities.
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