Kingfisher Airlines takes-off

Our Company Bureau
09 May 2005

Liquor baron Vijay Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines took-off this morning, with its first flight headed from India's commercial capital Mumbai to New Delhi at the first light of dawn. The private carrier had received its operations permit from the civil aviation ministry on Wednesday, recognising it as a scheduled carrier, which enabled it to launch flights from today.

Besides Mumbai-Delhi operations, the airlines will operate three flights a week between Mumbai and Bangalore and three more between Delhi and Bangalore.

However, the airline is not a no-frills carrier, even though Mallya had said that the airline would be hailed for its quality and reliability and "unparalleled in-flight experience"(See: Low cost, frills chic).

The airline's aircraft have an all economy configuration and provide prices lower than other competing airlines.

Kingfisher had taken the delivery of the first of its four A-320 aircraft from Airbus Industrie on lease from Airbus' assembly line in Toulouse, France. This is the first instance ever of a private Indian carrier taking delivery of a brand new aircraft to commence commercial operations.

The Airlines has also placed firm orders for 10 airbus A-320s, in addition to a purchase option of 20 more aircraft. The airline has also ordered three A319s, with deliveries expected to begin in September and December.