Private aviation firm, Kingfisher Airlines has stopped making bookings to Kolkata following a warning of a strike by employees over non-payment of salaries.

The airline halted flights bookings for the Delhi-Kolkata route from February 25 till February 28 after the employees said they would go on strike from February 25 as the company has not been able to pay them their salaries due to shortage of funds.

Kingfisher had recently offered an emergency stipend of Rs. 5,000 to its employees posted at airports, who have not received salaries for the last two months. Kingfisher's aircraft are out of service due to maintenance issues. It has been canceling flights on routes covering the cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Kochi, besides four international flights to Bangkok in Thailand.

Company staff has been dwindling as employees had lost faith in the airlines future. The airline had delayed making salary payments for August and September upsetting many employees and making them think about leaving their jobs.

Kingfisher chief executive Sanjay Aggarwal informed the company employees that the company is not able to pay them in full. Kingfisher is also facing severe fuel shortages as it has been available to pay its fuel bills. OIL companies have threatened to stop the supply of fuel to the company if it is unable to pay its dues.

Kingfisher Airlines has approximately 7,000 employees and its monthly wage bill stands at Rs. 40-50 crore.