SpiceJet Q400 pilots refuse to fly over unpaid salaries, ALPA backs move: Report

For around 40 SpiceJet pilots operating the airline's Q400 aircraft fleet, the wait for pending salaries has now turned into a refusal to fly until their dues are cleared, PTI reported, citing sources. The stance has also received the backing of pilots' grouping ALPA India.

The development comes at a time when the budget carrier has been grappling with financial and operational headwinds for many months, with aviation watchdog DGCA keeping a close tab on the airline.

Sources said on Monday that around 40 pilots who operate the Q400 planes had recently refused to fly until their pending salary dues were paid. Further details could not be immediately ascertained. SpiceJet did not comment.

According to information available on fleet tracking website planespotters.net, the airline has an operational fleet of 10 planes, including two Q400s, while 37 aircraft are parked.

In a letter dated October 9 addressed to all its members and the civil aviation fraternity, the Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPA India) said it "stands firmly in solidarity with these pilots and assures them of its full moral support, together with all possible logistical, professional, and consultative assistance in pursuing a fair and constructive resolution".

Without providing specific details, ALPA India said it had been informed that a group of pilots operating SpiceJet's Q400 fleet had resolved to take "a principled stand in defence of their legitimate rights, professional dignity, and, above all, the uncompromising standards of aviation safety". It said these pilots had reportedly been operating under considerable stress and uncertainty arising from persistent financial and operational challenges.

ALPA India also said that reports of unpaid vendors declining essential aircraft-related services, along with delayed salaries and outstanding employee benefits, had created an increasingly difficult working environment. The pilots' refusal to fly, their demand for salary dues, and ALPA India's support come amid the wider strain being faced by the airline.