In an indication of a showdown with the Kingfisher management, a section of the Delhi-based pilots reported sick on Thursday, while their Mumbai counterparts decided not to fly from tonight

Mumbai: A section of Kingfisher pilots have decided not to fly from tonight to protest "backtracking" by the management on its "assurance" of remitting their January salaries from 9th May, a move which is likely to compound the woes of fliers already hit by the ongoing stir by Air India pilots.

"The management had said that it would start giving January salaries from 9th May onwards. However, it has backtracked on its commitment," Kingfisher sources told PTI.

According to sources, Kingfisher Airline Chairman Vijay Mallya had "assured" the staff in his 5th May communication of remitting their January salaries from Wednesday onwards.

In an indication of a showdown with the management, a section of the Delhi-based pilots of the cash-strapped airline reported sick on Thursday, while their Mumbai counterparts decided not to fly from tonight, the sources said.

The Kingfisher spokesperson was not available for comment.

At 2.23pm, Kingfisher was trading a percent down at Rs13.8 on the Bombay Stock Exchange, while the Sensex was marginally down at 16,462.