SpiceJet (SG, Delhi International) has denied reports it failed to make provident fund contributions for its employees for over two-and-a-half years, saying it regularly makes contributions.
"Reports suggesting that provident fund contributions beyond January 2022 have not been deposited are wrong," a SpiceJet spokesperson to ch-aviation in response to the CNBCTV18 report. "A significant portion of payments beyond that period has been duly made. However, as stated earlier, there has been a lag in some deposits. Clearing these dues remains our top priority."
ch-aviation has previously reported on delays in paying provident fund contributions at SpiceJet. However, the CNBCTV18 report cites an Employee's Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) official as saying the carrier had not made any deposits since early 2022 to the Indian government-run EFPO oversees savings and retirement funds that employees and employers contribute to. The employee's contribution is deducted by the employer before payment of any salary and remitted on the employee's behalf to the relevant fund, along with the employer's contribution.
In related news, media reports suggesting the cancellation of a wet-lease agreement between SpiceJet and Sky Angkor Airlines (ZA, Phnom Penh) are inaccurate. A spate of delays and cancellations on SpiceJet flights in and out of Ahmedabad last week resulted in local outlets reporting that it was because Sky Angkor had taken back its two A320-200s, with one citing "lease issues" and another saying SpiceJet had not paid to renew the leases. However, the SpiceJet spokesperson says this is not the case and that the airline continues to operate both aircraft. ADS-B flight tracking data supports this and shows both aircraft, XU-727 (msn 04128) and XU-729 (msn 03743), are continuing to fly for SpiceJet and have experienced no recent service interruptions.
