Jet Airways crisis: Suresh Prabhu asks aviation secretary to hold emergency meeting
Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu Tuesday asked his Ministry Secretary to hold an emergency meeting on the grounding of flights by Jet Airways, and advance bookings, cancellation, refunds and safety issues.
In a tweet, Prabhu said he asked the Secretary to get a report on Jet compliance issues immediately from Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
The cash-starved Jet Airways has alleged that non-payment of salaries had adversely affected its members’ psychological condition, which puts the safety of the airline’s flight operations at risk.
In a communication to the DGCA, the Jet Airways Aircraft Maintenance Engineers’ Association sought the aviation regulator’s intervention in recovering the dues.
It said the management’s failure to keep its commitment of clearing their salary by March had shaken their faith in the company.
The move comes after customers took to social media about inconveniences caused due to flight cancellations by Jet Airways. It also raised questions about whether the Naresh Goyal-led airline, struggling to cobble up a revival plan with its lenders and shareholders, should be allowed to accept advance bookings amid flight cancellations.
A person familiar with the discussions in the ministry said the DGCA was keeping a close watch on air fares to detect any unusual surge in the wake of flight cancellations.
COURTESY:- NEWS BHARATI
