Kingfisher Airlines was forced to curtail its international operations to some destinations in Europe and Asia, after a leasing company allegedly seized an A-330 aircraft being operated by the troubled airline.

Kingfisher, however, said it had “returned” an Airbus A-330-200 aircraft to a lessor in the UK, and decided to curtail its “wide-bodied” international operations. However, industry watchers claim that the aircraft was seized by the lessors in London.

Sources indicated that the possibility of return of one more wide-body Airbus soon cannot be ruled out. “All routes, especially the long-haul ones, are being reviewed and if there is one that is not making money it will be shut down,” the sources said.

In effect, this means that the airline's flights to the UK and Hong Kong will be pruned.

The airline uses the wide-body A-330 to destinations in Europe and the Far East and the narrow-body A-320 to neighbouring countries in the South-Asia.

Meanwhile, the airline Chairman, Mr Vijay Mallya, is to meet pilots in Delhi on Thursday, the airline said in a statement. “Despite the shortage of crew, Kingfisher Airlines operated 101 flights on March 13 and will operate 101 flights on March 14. We request one and all to appreciate the serious handicaps we face not only because of our frozen accounts but because of the operating environment. We are working hard to resolve the issues that confront us given the current environment,” the statement added.

The airline was recently suspended from the IATA Billing Settlement Plan, thereby making it difficult for travel agents globally to sell its tickets.

> ashphadnis@thehindu.co.in

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