Kingfisher Airlines' Q2 Net Loss Widens to Rs 754 Cr

Debt-ridden Kingfisher Airlines today reported net loss of Rs 754 crore for the July-September quarter, a sharp increase from Rs 469 crore in the year-ago period, and said it is working on a plan to resume services.

The revenue plunged to Rs 200 crore during its second quarter of this fiscal from Rs 1,553 crore in the same period last year because of disruption in operations and eventual suspension of its license by aviation regulator DGCA.

Even as the company's expenses declined across various heads, the firm suffered huge restructuring cost. Its tax expenses also rose sharply.

Announcing the result, the carrier said it is in discussions with various stakeholders to ensure that there are no future disruptions and expects to resume operations in the near future.

 Kingfisher Airlines is preparing a comprehensive plan for re-start of operations which will be shared with the DGCA and bankers, the carrier said in a BSE filing.

Shares of the company were trading at Rs 12.85, up 0.16 per cent on the BSE at 1025 hrs.

The carrier is already saddled with accumulated loss of Rs 8,000 crore besides a debt burden of over Rs 7,524 crore, a large part of which has not been serviced.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had recently suspended the flying licence of Kingfisher following the airline's failure to come up with a viable plan of financial and operational revival.

It faces the risk of losing its licence if a revival plan is not submitted by next month, while bankers are working on plans to handle large scale defaults by the airline.

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Passenger on board turns violent on IndiGo flight

An unruly passenger on-board an IndiGo flight from Mumbai allegedly got violent and created a ruckus in the aircraft, forcing authorities to hand him over to security officials when the plane landed at the IGI airport here today.
The passenger, identified as Mohammed Muslim Sheikh, had boarded the IndiGo flight (6E196) from Mumbai but suddenly got violent and started screaming and shouting and physically assaulted a crew member on board, sources said.
He also tried to move forward in the plane but was restrained by the crew and fellow passengers till the aircraft landed at the airport here.
Cabin crew also took security measures to block his access to the front of the aircraft, they said.
In the meantime, the pilot-in-command informed the airport authorities and requested for the security personnel on arrival of the flight.
After the aircraft landed at the IGI airport, the man was deplaned and handed over to the CISF.
Confirming the incident, an IndiGo spokesperson said, IndiGo is in the process of lodging a FIR with the police and IndiGo shall assist the security agencies in their investigation.

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Airlines told to prepare for fog with trained pilots

 With fog likely to affect flights in and out of Delhi and other cities in North India for a longer period this year, aviation regulator DGCA has asked all airlines to deploy sufficient number of pilots trained to operate air service in such a condition.

At a meeting convened by DGCA, met department officials said the anticipated period of fog during 2012-13 at the Delhi airport would be from December 10 to February 10. In the past few years, foggy conditions have subsided by the third week of January.
The meeting, which reviewed fog preparedness at the Delhi and other north Indian airports, was attended by officials of Airports Authority of India, domestic and foreign carriers, Delhi International Airport Ltd, CISF and the Indian Meteorological Department, an official spokesperson said. DGCA directed airlines to ensure that adequate numbers of Category-III trained pilots were available to operate flights to and from Delhi during fog. The airlines were also told that the operations of planes like ATR turboprops, regional jets and Bombardier Q400s, which are not CAT-III compliant, should be rescheduled during the fog period.
The regulator also asked airlines to provide advance information to passengers and provide them with basic amenities along with food at alternate airports in case of diverted flights. While DIAL representative made a presentation on the preparations and contingency plans during the fog period, AAI officials said they have issued instructions to alternate airports near Delhi to prepare for fog situation.
Construction work, which could affect aircraft operations, should be stopped near the operational area at the IGI airport as well as the alternate airports like Jaipur, Lucknow, Amritsar, Ahmedabad and Varanasi during the fog period, the aviation regulator instructed.
The meeting came following direction from Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh to take all necessary steps in advance to meet eventualities arising out of fog during the winter season particularly at the airports in North India. Singh asked authorities to ensure that passengers should not be put to unnecessary inconvenience and flight cancellations should be minimised without compromising safety, an official statement said.
He also advised Airports Authority of India (AAI) and other authorities concerned to make use of the best available technology for smooth navigation and landing of aircraft during fog. The DGCA directed the airports to display meteorological information for passengers on flight information displays (FIDs) and update it every 15 minutes.
Weather information on the IGI airport should be displayed on prominent news channels, it said. Airlines should provide information to passengers about delays, rescheduling, cancellation of flights in advance through SMS, email, phone. Airlines should also provide information to DIAL on flight status for updating the same on FIDs, he said.
After the fog situation improves, priority should be given to diverted flights and ATC should sequence the planes and give clearance for take-off based on the start-up request to avoid congestion, he said, adding that ground infrastructure would be augmented at alternate airports during fog.
He said that airlines must ensure that passengers were provided basic amenities along with food at alternate airports in case of diverted flights. Airlines should position a senior level officer at IGI airport during the fog period for passenger facilitation.
To avoid any misconduct or violence on the part of passengers, CISF have been directed to provide necessary help to the airlines. DIAL would be holding daily evening meetings of all stakeholders during the fog period to review the situation during the day and plan for the next day's operations.
PTI

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Qatar Airways launches global 72-hour sale at midnight

Qatar Airways is offering customers across India and around the world with great savings to more than 100 destinations during its latest three-day global sale.

The 72-hour marathon sale, which starts at 0001 hrs Nov 7 (local time in each market) and ends at 23:59 on Nov 9 (local time in each market) offers customers the opportunity to travel to a variety of destinations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas at very attractive fares. 

From India, travelers looking to fly from nine cities - Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Cochin, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Trivandrum - to Doha and beyond, can take advantage of the special fares to Athens, Ankara, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Frankfurt, Houston, Istanbul, London, Madrid, Milan, Manchester, New York, Nairobi, Rome, Paris, Stockholm, Washington and many more.

"The travel window is extremely generous over a six-month period between November 12 and May 31 next year. Seats are limited, subject to availability with restrictions on specific dates with some destinations excluded," an airline statement said.

The special fares are applicable to and from the majority of destinations served by Qatar Airways worldwide, including New York, Paris, London, Cairo, Johannesburg, Dubai and Madrid, together with recent route additions such as Maputo, Baku and Kilimanjaro.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said: "As we come up to the end of yet another great year of great expansion, we would like to offer travellers another opportunity to take advantage of our special fares in our latest global sale, just two months after our last international promotion."

"Qatar Airways' success is largely due to the support of our customers. The Global Sale is our way of thanking our loyal passengers for their continued support and also welcome new travellers enabling them to enjoy a great travel experience onboard the world's best airline.

"Whether travelling for leisure or business, the three-day sale provides customers with the opportunity to visit popular destinations and discover newly-introduced routes available on our rapidly expanding network,"  Al Baker said.

The Doha-based airline, one of the world's fastest growing carriers, has seen rapid growth in just 15 years of operations, currently flying a modern fleet of 111 aircraft to 120 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America.

Since the beginning of 2012, Qatar Airways has launched flights to 10 new destinations - Baku (Azerbaijan); Tbilisi (Georgia); Kigali (Rwanda); Zagreb (Croatia), Erbil (Iraq), Baghdad (Iraq), Perth (Australia), Kilimanjaro (Tanzania); Yangon (Myanmar) and Maputo (Mozambique).

Over the next few months, Qatar Airways will launch services to a diverse portfolio of new routes, including Belgrade, Serbia (November 20); Warsaw, Poland (December 5), Gassim, Saudi Arabia (7 January 2013); Najaf, Iraq (January 23); Phnom Penh, Cambodia (February 20); and Chicago, USA (April 10).

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