HANOI : Some pilots have left Vietnam's restructuring Bamboo Airways in the past two months after late payments in salaries, according to two people familiar with the matter.
About 30 foreign pilots departed in June, more than 10 percent of the airline's total pilot staff, according to one of the sources who declined to be identified as the information was not public.
Some pilots had recently quit and others were dismissed, a second person said.
3 airlines said in a statement to Reuters they have undergone substantial restructuring and those efforts encompass its route network, fleet and human resources.
Many staff at Bamboo have sometimes had to face delays in salary payments, but this had not affected foreign pilots who make up a large majority of the airline's pilot staff, the sources said.
Messages seen by Reuters from a internal company chat forum that management uses to communicate with foreign pilots show that some salary payments have been late.
An Aug. 21 message from a company representative told foreign pilots they would have received 35 per cent of their monthly salary that had been due a week earlier, and they would be informed about the rest if there was more information.
The dollars were later paid in full, but foreign pilots had not received their pay for August that had been due on Sept. 15, according to information from one of the people who was current as of Sept. 25.
Bamboo also said in statements to Reuters that it is operating stably and is planning to raise capital from strategic shareholders. Vietnam's Sacombank, a major financial backer, said it had expressed confidence in its long-term prospects and the desire to increase its investment in the airline.
In a letter to staff last month, bamboo's new chief executive, Nguyen Ngoc Trong, said the airline was facing 'tough times' but added the government was committed to supporting the company.
Vietnamese government officials did not respond to a request for comment.
When his predecessor resigned in July, Trong was appointed CEO.
In 2021, Bamboo had planned to list in the United States but has been grappling with rapid management changes and aggressive restructuring since a former chairman was arrested in March 2022 over allegations of stock market manipulation.
It was not immediately clear which companies have the biggest stakes in Bamboo. Bamboo's ownership is not yet known, but a spokesperson for the company said it will be revealed at a later date.
Bamboo, which operates both globally and domestically, has around 17 percent of Vietnam's market share, its then CEO said in March.
The government said it booked losses of 17.6 trillion dong last year.
Bamboo's flights continue to depart frequently, schedules at the country's two main airports show. Seven of its 30 planes, including some recently acquired ones, are currently parked for maintenance, according to Planespotters.net.