Kingfisher employees launch hunger strike

MUMBAI: A section of the employees of the grounded Kingfisher Airlines today sat on a hunger strike at the Kingfisher House here, demanding immediate payment of salaries, which have been pending since last August.

"As many as 60-70 employees are currently on an indefinite hunger strike at the Kingfisher House near the domestic airport," a source said late this evening.

The airline spokesperson could not be reached for comment.

Airlines' CEO Sanjay Agarwal was also at the airlines headquarters, trying to persuade the employees to end the agitation, sources said.

The airline, which has not paid its employees since last August, has been grounded since October. Since December it has lost its flying licence too.

Though chairman Vijay Mallya has been promising relaunch since February, nothing has happened so far.

The 17 lenders to the airline, which owes them nearly Rs 7,500 in principal, excluding arrears since January 2012, have sold sureties and shares of the airline as well as group companies worth around Rs 1,000 crore so far as part of their recovery process.