Kingfisher cancels 30 flights, submits new schedule

Kingfisher Airlines cancelled around 30 flights in major metro cities across the country, forcing passengers to face another harrowing day Wednesday.

 Submitting to the aviation regulator's demand earlier, the carrier filed its new flight schedule during the day.

The cancellations and new flight schedule were announced as the airline told the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) it would operate around 180 daily flights with 28 aircraft.

The airline was directed by the DGCA Tuesday to submit a revised and realistic flight schedule within 24 hours.

Sources in the DGCA said the regulator had received the new schedule via an email and was studying it.

Director General of Civil Aviation E.K. Bharat Bhushan also briefed Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh Wednesday about his discussion with the airline's management Tuesday.

The regulator is probing the large-scale cancellations and whether financial constraints have in anyway compromised passenger safety.

Meanwhile, the civil aviation minister refused to comment on airline's move to seek funding from a consortium of 13 banks, led by the State Bank of India.
"Banks are going to take their own decision," said Singh.

Kingfisher has a debt of Rs 7,057.08 crore. The company’s net loss widened to Rs.444.26 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2011, from Rs.253.69 crore in the October-December quarter in the last fiscal.