KINGFISHER Airlines has only been operating 269 out of its winter schedule of 418 flights last week, amid speculation that it might need a financial bailout by the government, since oil companies have insisted on cash payment for aviation fuel purchase.
In an official statement, however, Anshu Sarin, vice president, Kingfisher Airlines said: “Kingfisher Airlines has initiated reconfiguration of its aircraft. This exercise will require few of our aircraft to be out of service for the next few weeks. We have rationalised our network, resulting in a temporary discontinuation of approximately 50 flights out of our current operating schedule of approximately 350 departures per day.”
In the meantime, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is considering allotting Kingfisher’s unused flight slots to other airlines.
Kingfisher Airlines has also discontinued its low-cost carrier Kingfisher Red a few weeks ago. The airline is faced with an Rs40 billion (US$800 million) debt.
For more, read TTG Asia, December 2 issue.
