Jet Airways employees reach Aviation Ministry door, protest job losses

Jet Airways employees after facing joblessness reached out to the government for helping to save the grounded airline. The employees hope government will act to protect their jobs. The staffers on Tuesday took out a march in front of Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan that houses the Civil Aviation Ministry.

 Jet airways has seen mass exodus of employees especially engineers and pilots.

"Now that elections are over we hope that government would take necessary steps to revive Jet Airways. We will try to meet Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola and understand what government could do to protect our jobs," news agency ANI quoted a protesting employee working with the airline's engineering department as saying.

Earlier, Company Secretary and Compliance Officer Kuldeep Sharma had resigned. The resignation came hours after Vinay Dube stepped down as Jet Airways' chief executive officer, ended a 21-month long tumultuous tenure during which the once-storied carrier shuttered operations due to cash crunch. 

The exit of the top officials also comes at a time when the SBI-led lenders' consortium is trying hard to find a buyer for the ailing Jet Airways. The carrier stopped flying on April 17 after it ran out of cash.

Last month, Independent Director Rajshree Pathy, Non-Executive and Non-Independent Director Nasim Zaidi as well as Whole Time Director Guarang Shetty, had quit.

In late March, Jet Airways Founder Naresh Goyal along with his wife Anita Goyal as well Etihad Airways' nominee director Kevin Knight stepped down from their respective position following a debt-recast plan.

Naresh Goyal also stepped down from the post of Chairman.

Etihad is a strategic investor in Jet Airways.