Troubled Kingfisher Airlines has been asked to vacate its huge business lounge in the international side of terminal 3 or T3 by the GMR run Delhi Airport. The latest move has come after the Airports Authority of India asked the airlines to vacate its hangars at Chennai and Kolkata.
Kingfisher has not operated a single flight since October 1, 2012 and the airline’s license has also been suspended. The carrier had stopped international flights since March, 2012. An official from GMR said, “Our business teams have told Kingfisher that it makes commercial sense for them to vacate the huge 90-100 square meter space they have occupied at T3 (international side) for business lounge since they don’t have international flights.”
The official added that the airline’s plan was to restart operations with seven planes, but according to current guidelines it cannot begin operating unless it has 20 aircraft in its fleet. Even if the airline begins its operations, getting to international standards is a long way off. The combined dues for Hyderabad and Delhi airports are about Rs. 75 crores, while the GMR Group has filed suits over bounced cheques.
The official said that the entire overdue amount needs to be cleared before Kingfisher can fly again from these places. The airline now does not have any hangar at GMR run airports.
