Troubled Indian carrier Kingfisher Airlines has suspended flights until Thursday after a strike by workers raised safety concerns.
Kingfisher cited incidents including violence, criminal intimidation and refraining from attending work. It declared a partial lock-out.
The government said the airline could not fly until its aircraft were certified safe after the strike. Airline officials are due to meet the aviation regulator today.
Lack of pay was again cited as the reason for a strike that began on Friday and was joined by more staff yesterday.
The carrier said that “illegal acts” had been committed by a “small section of recalcitrant employees which were all unnecessary and unprovoked”.
A statement said yesterday: “The management has been forced to declare a partial lock-out at the airline, effective immediately.”
The airline was forced to cancel 40 flights in July when workers refused to come to work saying they had not been paid for months.
Kingfisher has been struggling with a cash shortage and has made five straight annual losses.