India’s Kingfisher Airlines, failing to resolve a dispute with pilots who have been on strike since Sept. 30 over non-payment of salaries, has extended its grounding until Oct. 20. “All flights across [Kingfisher’s] network will be canceled till Oct. 20 due to operational reasons,” an airline official says. The announcement comes one day after CEO Sanjay Aggarwal appealed to employees, who have not been paid for seven months, to return to work.

NEW DELHI — India is likely to buy an additional 42 Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft and 71 medium-lift helicopters from Russia. The Su-30 MKI order will be in addition to the 230 aircraft of the type already contracted for, as the Indian air force (IAF) plans to raise 13 to 14 squadrons in the near future, according to a defense ministry official. The Sukhoi Su-30 MKI, a variant of the Sukhoi Su-30, is jointly developed by Russia’s Sukhoi and India’s state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) for the IAF.

Indian operator Kingfisher Airlines has resumed the sale of tickets for flights from Oct. 12 despite orders from the country’s aviation regulator to suspend all reservations until the grounded carrier has complied with safety inspections.