Vijay Amritraj quits Kingfisher board

Indian tennis legend Vijay Amritraj today bailed out from the board of the sinking Kingfisher Airlines citing personal reasons rather than the troubles of an airline that has been reduced to almost skeletal operations.

"Vijay Amritraj has, because of increase in his travel schedule and commitments that will prevent him from attending any board meetings in 2012-13, resigned from the board of directors of the company," Kingfisher said in a filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange.

A statement from the Vijay Amritraj Foundation earlier on Tuesday said, "Amritraj is no longer on the Kingfisher board." The foundation refused to comment on the reasons for Amritraj's abrupt departure, tersely saying, "Contact the (airline) management."

With this, the last big name has resigned from the board of the airline promoted by the high-living Vijay Mallya, who made his money by selling liquor in a highly controlled Indian market.

Another board member, Diwan Arun Nanda, had quit late last year citing personal reasons. Chairman Vijay Mallya, vice-chairman Subhash Gupte, president and chief financial officer A K Ravi Nedungadi and chartered accountant member Anil Kumar Ganguly are the four remaining directors on the company, with Ganguly the sole independent member left.

Amritraj, a Padma Shri awardee, runs the Vijay Amritraj Foundation. He is a designated United Nations Messenger of Peace and a recipient of the International Sportsman of the Year Award for the year 1987.