NEW DELHI,
MARCH 15:
The Chairman of Kingfisher Airlines, Mr Vijay Mallya, on Thursday
assured the agitating pilots of his airline that their unpaid salary dues will
be cleared soon.
The Chairman, however, refused to share details about where the funds
for paying salaries and other dues will come from, especially as several banks
have declared the airline as a non-performing asset.
The meeting had been called as pilots and other employees have not
been paid for the past three months.
"That (where funds come from) is between the pilots and the
management. I had a good productive, very interactive meeting with the pilots.
Obviously, the salary issue was addressed. I have assurances that the pilot
community will fly," Mr Mallya told the media after a three-hour-long meeting
with pilots.
The Chairman said that in the next two or three days you will hear
the full plan. "Our plan is to make sure we get the confidence of the guests who
fly with us return. That there is 100 per cent schedule integrity and
reliability. That the authorities are happy all this will be worked out in the
next three days." Mr Mallya said.
INVESTOR INTEREST
He also indicated that one international airline and two non-airline
investors were interested in investing in the airline.
Mr Mallya, however, claimed that the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
rules did not allow the investment to be made at the moment.
Meanwhile, Mr Mallya will meet with Director-General of the
International Air Transport Authority (IATA) here on Friday.
"Financials will be discussed. But you should not forget the money
that IATA is already holding," Mr Mallya said when asked whether Kingfisher will
make any payments to IATA at the meeting.
The airline has been suspended from the IATA booking settlement plan
for not settling its financial dues, a move that made it impossible for travel
agents globally to sell its tickets
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