Nepal Airlines pilots warn of resigning en masse over pay discrimination

It was a first blow to Nepal Airlines Corporation when its Executive Chairman Madan Kharel resigned few days ago. And now the airliner is bracing for yet another turbulence, as its 25 permanent pilots have warned of quitting en masse if their concerns are not addressed soon.

In a notice to the airlines, the pilots have said there is a huge difference in remunerations for them and expat pilots, as their foreign counterparts have been hired on a contract basis and their taxes are being paid by the airline, reported Ekantipur.com. 

The pilots have also objected to the airline management's recent move of deducting a "certain amount" from their monthly salary, besides applicable taxes, without any notice.

"The management knows that the remuneration offered by Nepal Airlines to its pilot is too low compared to that offered to pilots to any private domestic or international airlines in Nepal," reads the notice signed by the dissenting pilots. "Now, without any notice to the crew, an additional amount is being deducted [from our salaries] in the name of 'staff advance' though we have never taken any advance from the company," the notice also reads.

The pilots' warning may impact the airline's operations, at a time when the beleaguered company had just started repaying its loans.