A teenagers’ petition to save her father’s job at Jet Airways has gone viral

New Delhi: A teenager's online petition on Change.org to save her father's job at Jet Airways, the airline which suspended operations on April 17, has gone viral and has shown the human face of the financial crisis that grips the airline today. It has already garnered 71,000 signatures.

'Survival of Jet Airways is a necessity for us'

Addressing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, New Delhi-based, 17-year-old Sanjana wrote, "I am the daughter of one of the jet airways employees. My father has been associated with jet airways for more than 20 years. But at this stage, loss of his job will be a huge setback for our family. We would need to compromise with our every dream and aspirations. Even pursuing my education would become quite difficult. The survival of Jet Airways is a necessity for us. We are also citizen of india and the tax payers of nation and we have contributed for the development of nation. Thus seeking help from prime minister is our right."

The petition was posted just hours before the ailing airline announced that it was shutting down operations. In the message titled, 'Saving future of 16,000 Jet Airways employees,' Singh sought financial help from the government to save the airline.

Thousands of employees impacted by the crisis

Thousands of employees have been left in the lurch as Jet shut down its operations. The airline is reeling under a debt of $1.2 billion and has been forced to ground all its planes. Jet Airways CEO Vinay Dube told employees earlier this week that the sale would take time and throw up more challenges but the airline will be back on its feet. A failure to get the much-needed funding would threaten the jobs of some 16,000 employees and around 20,000 more who are engaged with Jet indirectly. Employees have gone for about three to four months without pay.