A day after a former SpiceJet pilot wrote to the Prime Minister’s Office claiming financial stress of airline staff and eventual flight safety hazard, the airline has refuted the allegations, terming them as baseless and unfounded.
“We refer to the email communication being circulated by one Captain Vinod Loganathan alleging flight safety hazard at SpiceJet and giving an unfounded colour of being an unsafe airline due to financial stress caused to certain unnamed employees. The allegations are completely false, baseless and we deny them all strongly,” the company said in a statement.
Noting that the ex-employee had resigned from the company at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 before withdrawing his resignation, the airline said that Captain Loganathan was later off-rostered for indiscipline.
The ex-employee had a history of poor performance on account of his attitude, failure in tests and exams and being abusive to his colleagues, especially juniors, and the specific instances are well-documented in his company records, SpiceJet said.
When the company decided to terminate his services on account of his conduct, he chose to submit his resignation rather than face “services terminated on account of poor conduct”, it said, adding that taking a compassionate view the company accepted his resignation.
“This entire communication is an attempt to propagate falsities,” SpiceJet said.
Insinuating that a fellow colleague had committed suicide due to financial stress caused by salary issues is completely unfounded and based upon wrong surmises, it said, adding: “The company has already clarified that the crew member had been flying throughout and was being paid regularly like all other flying crew.”
The airline’s defence came after Loganathan alleged that safety of operations might be compromised due to the financial strain being faced by the company’s employees.
Longanathan also blamed the airline’s management and senior operations staff for not releasing his unpaid dues.
The letter was addressed to the PMO and other government agencies.
