Kingfisher to start overseas operations under own name, not Air Deccan''s

The Vijay Mallya-owned Kingfisher Airlines will begin its international operations next year under its own name and logo, not under Air Deccan. The union civil aviation ministry says it does not foresee any legal problems in the arrangement.

Civil aviation ministry regulations say only carriers with five years'' experience in operating domestic flights can fly on international routes.

The two-year-old Kingfisher holds a controlling stake in low cost airline Air Deccan, which will completing the five years criteria in August next year. Kingfisher has already announced its plans to launch international operations.

Union civil aviation minister Praful Patel said, "I don''t think that there is any legal tangle to this issue. As far as the civil aviation ministry is concerned, the five-year policy stands. The future decision has to be taken by the group of ministers (GoM)."

He added that there needs to be more flexibility in the rules, depending on an airline''s capability, whether it has the requisite long-haul planes, the right routes and business plans.