New Delhi: Troubled Kingfisher Airlines would have to submit a detailed plan to aviation regulator DGCA before they are allowed to resume flights, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said on Saturday. Asked whether the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) was likely to move ahead with suspending or cancelling the crisis-ridden carrier's flying license, he said it was for the regulator to decide after it studies their reply to the...
03:20 AM, Oct 07, 2012
New Delhi: Adding woes for liqour baron and owner of cash-strapped Kingfisher Airlines Vijay Mallya is main lender SBI which has said that it cannot release any more funds. SBI Chairman Pratip Chaudhuri said that the tax department has freed 80 per cent of Kingfisher Airlines' funds and the loans to the airline are fully provided for. And there is no room for more loans to the airline. This means...
10:58 AM, Oct 06, 2012
New Delhi/Mumbai: Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on Friday again made it clear that Kingfisher Airlines cannot fly until it satisfies all the mandatory safety norms. "In order to give them (Kingfisher Airlines) permission to fly again, they have to satisfy the DGCA (Directorate-General of Civil Aviation) on all safety issues," Singh said as the airline extended its lockout for another week. Asked whether the airline's licence will be cancelled...
02:09 AM, Oct 06, 2012
Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on Friday said that what had happened to the Kingfisher Airlines was very unfortunate. He said there were high chances that the licence of the airline would be suspended. The Aviation Minister told reporters that the DGCA was seeking legal opinion as the company was in partial lockout mode. Singh said the overall management of Kingfisher Airlines was responsible for the company's failure. ...
06:22 PM, Oct 05, 2012
New Delhi: As Kingfisher Airlines extended its partial lockout by a week till October 12, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on Friday said the debt-ridden company will have to satisfy airline regulator DGCA on safety before it gets permission to fly again. "There are a lot of factors involved in it. That includes the salaries of the employees, their disgruntlement issues and others. If the employees are disgruntled there is...
12:16 PM, Oct 05, 2012
The wife of a Kingfisher Airlines store manager Manas Chakraborti committed suicide in Delhi on Thursday. Her suicide note said that the family was under severe financial strain as her husband had not been paid his salary for the past six months. Chakraborti had joined Kingfisher after retiring from the Indian Air Force. The couple has a son who is studying in an engineering college. The victim's body was discovered ...
11:57 AM, Oct 05, 2012
New Delhi: Cash-strapped Kingfisher Airlines got a lifeline as banks agreed to release Rs 60 crore for the airline to pay its employees. Kingfisher Airlines will be able to pay its employees salaries with half that amount. But the lockout has been extended till October 12. The airline management will be meeting employees again on Friday after talks failed on Thursday. The move to release the money came after the...
07:18 AM, Oct 05, 2012
Gurgaon: The Kingfisher Airlines management met with striking employees on Thursday in Gurgaon but failed to end the empasse. There was more confusion after the meeting as a Kingfisher Airlines official claimed that 100 employees were ready to resume work, but the airlines denied any such development. Kingfisher lenders will be holding an emergency meeting later on Thursday in Mumbai at the SBI Bhawan. Kingfisher Airlines spokesperson denied the statement...
12:40 PM, Oct 04, 2012
New Delhi: The resumption of Kingfisher Airlines' flight four days after its lock-down seems to be under a cloud after talks between the airline management and employees failed. Sources said that the staff who have not been paid their salaries since March demanded to be paid in full on Wednesday and this was turned down by the management. Sources added that CEO Sanjay Aggarwal requested his employees for 20 more...
08:34 AM, Oct 04, 2012
New Delhi: Trouble also continues for Vijay Mallya-promoted Kingfisher Airlines. A day after its flights were grounded by a strike, Kingfisher CEO Sanjay Agarwal met the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and promised to restart operations by Friday. Agarwal also explained the partial lockout at the DGCA office. Kingfisher has promised to restart operations by Friday. For that to happen employees who've gone without salaries for over seven months...
07:59 AM, Oct 03, 2012
New Delhi: Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on Tuesday reiterated that Kingfisher Airlines will not be allowed to operate flights until its engineers report back to work and they certify on the flights' safety. "Passenger safety cannot be compromised. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is talking to them today. They will send a report and a decision will be taken after that," he said. The CEO of the cash-strapped...
11:46 AM, Oct 02, 2012
Mumbai: Taking a cue from Union Minister Ajit Singh's statement that Kingfisher Airlines could approach other carriers for safety certification, the Vijay Mallya-promoted airline has reportedly approached Air India and others for getting its aircraft checked for certification. "Kingfisher Airlines is in talks with Air India, IndiGo and Jet Airways to get its aircraft certified by their engineers for flying," an airline source said on Monday evening. All these carriers...
02:26 AM, Oct 02, 2012
Mumbai: Kingfisher Airlines on Monday evening declared a temporary lockout of its operations till October 4. The decision of the airlines came few hours after Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh warned that the company will not be allowed to fly if safety norms are flouted. The Aviation Minister categorically clarified that no Kingfisher flights would take off till the engineers certified on the safety of aircraft. Reiterating passenger safety was...
11:09 PM, Oct 01, 2012
New Delhi: Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh has warned Kingfisher Airlines that the company will not be allowed to fly if safety norms are flouted. The Aviation Minister categorically clarified that no Kingfisher flights would take off till the engineers certified on the safety of aircraft. Reiterating passenger safety was the foremost concern, Singh said that the Vijay Mallya-promoted Kingfisher Airlines can be shut down if safety concerns arise. Singh's...
05:45 PM, Oct 01, 2012
New Delhi: The government plans to introduce a bill to replace aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) with a more autonomous body in the Winter Session of Parliament as part of a host of measures to meet fresh challenges in the aviation sector. Among the measures being considered by the Civil Aviation Ministry is auctioning of some prime-time flying slots to end the opaqueness in their allocation by...
07:34 PM, Sep 28, 2012
New Delhi: Major foreign airlines seem to have adopted a wait-and-watch approach over the government's decision to allow them to pick up 49 per cent stake in Indian carriers, even though the government says the mood in the industry was upbeat. Air India has been kept out of the ambit of this major policy announcement, but there have been reports about a couple of Indian carriers holding preliminary discussions with...
11:47 AM, Sep 23, 2012
New Delhi: Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on Friday said the government's open-sky policy for foreign investment in domestic airlines has positively affected sentiments in the aviation industry, but it is too early to say how much investment the sector would attract. "The sector is going through difficult times and is facing financial stress due to the overall economic slowdown. But the mood is upbeat now after we (government) allowed...
02:10 AM, Sep 22, 2012
New Delhi: Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on Monday ordered suspension of six senior Airport Authority of India officers for irregularities in awarding airports ground handling contracts. Sources said that major penalty proceedings have been also initiated against the officials. A CBI inquiry has found these officers involved in committing irregularities and favouring a particular company namely M/s Bhadra International India Ltd in award of contracts for ground handling services...
05:31 PM, Sep 17, 2012
New Delhi: The decision to bring in FDI in aviation got a rather lukewarm response. While cash strapped Kingfisher airlines welcome it and their morale is up for now, several foreign players were more circumspect. But the big question who will invest in Indian carriers with struggling finances? Sources at Kingfisher airlines tell CNN-IBN that talks with either Qatar or Etihad airlines will now resume. Kingfisher reported losses of over...
06:29 AM, Sep 15, 2012
New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee will be on a four-day visit to West Bengal from Friday where he is scheduled to attend various programmes including the culmination of IIT-Kharagpur's diamond jubilee celebrations. Incidentally, it will be Mukherjee's first visit to West Bengal, his home state, after assuming office. "On September 15, the President will attend the culmination of the diamond jubilee celebrations of Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur where Shiv...
07:00 AM, Sep 14, 2012
