Permission to take off? China Southern pilot stages silent protest to be allowed to quit

A pilot has staged a silent protest outside the headquarters of China Southern Airlines in the city of Guangzhou for the past week in the hope of having this resignation approved by management, state media reported on Friday.

Liu Yang, who is in his 30s and has been a pilot with the airlines for seven years, has been unable to leave the company despite a court ruling that terminated his work contract, the Beijing Youth Daily reported on Friday.

Liu handed in his resignation letter in July last year, but it was promptly rejected by the airline. He subsequently filed a lawsuit against the company.

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After two trials, the court decided that Liu should pay 1.68 million yuan (HK$2.2 million) to cover the cost of his training to the airline, so it could transfer Liu’s records to his new employer.

But the court lacked the authority to force the airlines to do so, the report said.

“My new employer was willing to pay the sum, but China Southern didn’t transfer my records, so I couldn’t go to work for the new company,” Liu said.

“The sum [training payback] is usually taken care of by employers, not individuals. An individual [pilot] couldn’t afford such a large amount.”