Kingfisher

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    Warrant Issued for Kingfisher Owner


    Kingfisher bounced checks of 105 million rupees (£1.25m) to settle user fees at Hyderabad International Airport.

    Then the airline failed to appear in court, leading the local sessions court to issue an arrest warrant for Vijay Mallya, owner of Kingfisher Airline.

    Staff of Kingfisher Airline has not been paid for months. Debts are said to total $2.49bn, with $1.1bn of bank debt.

    India’s Aviation regulator grounded the Kingfisher fleet for the last two weeks and is threatening to cancel its license.

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    Will Kingfisher Airlines Survive?

    Unable to pay its crews, Kingfisher Airlines grounded its fleet this week.

    Employees are in the midst of a strike and things aren’t looking good. Lenders refused funding, and employees can’t expect getting their full salaries in the foreseeable future.

    The biggest hurdle to getting permission to fly will be running the gauntlet of DGCA safety issues. Then, if they can get their employees back on board, and get financing, there might be a possibility of the airline getting off the ground. But they need $600 million in financing within the next two months, and only have ten operating planes.

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    Kingfisher Struck by Baggage Cart

    What: Kingfisher Airlines ATR en route from Madras to Bangalore
    Where: Madras India
    When: Sept 26, 2012
    Who: 48 aboard
    Why: A baggage cart collided with a Kingfisher Airlines flight taxiing on the runway.

    There were 48 passengers aboard at the time. Pilots were taxiing to the runway for takeoff when the truck intruded into their trajectory. The ATR’s fuselage sustained damage. Passengers disembarked and were provided an alternative plane.

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    Kingfisher Airlines Edging Closer to Oblivion

    Banks are refusing to lend the debt-laden Kingfisher Airlines funding, and they are scrambling to keep afloat. They owe over 1.3 billion.

    All international operations will be discontinued by April. Kingfisher submitted a plan of operation twenty planes making 125 daily flights but it remains to be seen if India will let it fly. Kingfisher is be liable for unpaid taxes, so the government may lean toward letting them keep afloat to provide a revenue stream for those overdue taxes. But that means that safety norms and financial viability conditions must meet standards and the greatest consideration is that (citing a January financial surveillance report by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)“reasonable case exists for withdrawal of their (Kingfisher’s) airline operator permit as their financial stress is likely to impinge on safety.”

    The State Airports Authority of India is allowing Kingfisher to operate only flights for which the airline has paid from Monday midnight to Tuesday midnight.

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    Kingfisher runs out of Gas

    What: Kingfisher en route from Colombo
    Where: Chennai
    When: July 19, 2011
    Who: 132 passengers, 6 crew
    Why: While en route, the plane ran out of gas. The pilot was supposed to circle the airport but that was not possible.

    The pilot explained his situation and ATC gave him permission to land although the runway was closed for maintenance work. Mintainers were informed of the landing and cleared the runway.

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    Kingfisher Flight makes Emergency Landing

    What: Kingfisher en route from Delhi to Mumbai
    Where: Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi
    When: July 2, 2011, 9:08 a.m.
    Who: 118 passengers and eight crew members
    Why: The flight took off from Delhi but then an alarm went off, causing the pilot to declare an emergency and return to the airport.

    The pilot made a safe landing at Indira Gandhi International Airport at 9:08 a.m. and taxied to the apron. There were no injuries. Passengers apparently disembarked normally and were provided an alternative flight.

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    Mumbai: Kingfisher Makes Emergency Landing

    What: Kingfisher en route from Mumbai to Bhubaneshwar
    Where: Mumbai
    When: Jan 19, 2011
    Who: 117 passengers
    Why: After taking off at 1:51, the pilot received a “cautionary systems alert,” declared emergency at 2:31 and returned to Mumbai at 3:15 where he made a safe landing. No injuries or damage to the plane was reported, and no details on what the alert actually was.

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    Kingfisher Emergency Landing in Mumbai

    What: Kingfisher Airbus A320-200 en route from Hyderabad to Mumbai
    Where: Mumbai, India
    When: Oct 21 2010
    Who: 136 aboard
    Why: On final approach to Mumbai, the plane incurred a bird strike which struck the landing gear. The plane made a safe landing at Mumbai, although there was some damage to the plane. Everyone made it safely off the plane.

    Newspapers reported “bird was trapped inside the wheels of the plane.”

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    Kingfisher Birdstrike in Mumbai

    What: Kingfisher Airlines A320 en route from Mumbai to New Delhi
    Where: Mumbai
    When: Oct 8 2010,
    Who: 120 passengers
    Why: After takeoff, the flight incurred a bird strike.

    The crew made an emergency landing back in Mumbai. Passengers disembarked, and will be provided an alternative flight. Meanwhile, maintenance will be examining any damage to the plane committed in the bird strike.

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    Mumbai: Kingfisher ATR Nosegear Damage, Runway Overrun


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Sean D’Silva

    What: Kingfisher Airlines Aerospatiale ATR-72-500 en route from Bhavnagar to Mumbai (India)
    Where: Mumbai
    When: Nov 10th 2009
    Who: 42 passengers and 4 crew
    Why: On landing, the flight overran the runway. The flight came to a stop on soft ground. The plane sustained substantial damage to the nose gear, left main gear, left wing tip and left propeller.

    There were no injuries reported.

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    Mumbai: Kingfisher Airbus Landing Gear Fails


    Pictured: A Kingfisher Airlines Airbus
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Steve Brimley

    What: Kingfisher Airlines Airbus A320-200 en route from Mumbai to Bangalore
    Where: Mumbai
    When: Sep 15th 2009
    Who: 98 passengers
    Why: Shortly after takeoff from Mumbai, the gear failed to retract. The plane returned to the airport for a safe landing, where passengers debarked–also safely–to board alternative transportation.

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    Kingfisher Bird strike at Guwahati

    What: Kingfisher Red en route from Imphal-Guwahati-Kolkata
    Where: Guwahati airport
    When: Saturday August 15, 2009
    Who: not available
    Why: On takeoff, the Kingfisher flight suffered a bird strike on a wing. ATC declared an emergency and the plane landed safely. A maintenance inspection found traces of the bird strike. The flight was grounded for repairs

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    Airbus with Smoke in Cabin Lands in India


    Pictured: A Kingfisher Airlines Airbus
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Steve Brimley

    What: Guwahati- Kolkata Kingfisher Airbus A320-200 en route from Guwahati to Kolkata
    Where: NSC Bose International Airport (Kolkata Airport is also known as Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport)
    When: Jul 7th 2009
    Who: 117 passengers (alternately reported as 170)
    Why: 125 km from landing at Kolkata, smoke was reported in the cabin coming from a galley. The plane landed safely and passengers debarked normally.

    A newspaper report claims there was a false alarm from a cockpit indicator reporting a fire in the cargo belly. No plane registration number was given for either report, though, so it conceivably could have been sloppy reportage of two separate KingFisher Airbuses at the same airport.

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    Mumbai: Airbus Wing Runway Accident


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Sushank Gupta- Indian Aviation Photographers

    What: Kingfisher Airbus A320-200 en route from Bagdogra to New Delhi (India)
    Where: Baghdogra Airport
    When: Jun 27th 2009 4:35pm
    Who: 178 passengers and 6 crew (This number varies on different accounts of the incident)
    Why: While taxing for takeoff, the Airbus was making a half turn when one wing stuck what is described as a “military bunker.” Damage to the wing caused the flight to be cancelled but there was no fuel leakage. The plane was taxied and passengers debarked.

    Last year, a tractor hit a Kingfisher plane just prior to takeoff from Mumbai Airport.

    George’s Point of View

    Two words: Driving lessons.

    Or an alternative two words: Traffic control.

    It’s always refreshing to see an accident on the ground where no one is hurt.

    However, one does wonder if this points to some underlying problem, either with training or airport design. (Camouflaged military bunker ON the runway? Excuse me? Whose idea was THAT? )