Kingfisher in talks with Abu Dhabi firm, to start MRO centre

New Delhi: Domestic carrier Kingfisher Airlines is in talks with an Abu Dhabi-based engineering firm to start a private maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in the country. Airline promoter Vijay Mallya said that though both the parties had agreed to set up such a facility, the details regarding the venue, costs and other issues were yet to be finalized.

Interestingly, Mallya also said that his airline would shortly make an application to start an airline in the US, which would enable it to operate flights into India. Such a move would allow Mallya to start overseas operations, which he has been unable to do as current Government of India rules prevent him from doing so.

Mallya said an application was being "compiled by our attorneys and it will be submitted (to the American authorities) in the next six to eight weeks".

Throwing light on his application for an American operation, Mallya said that he was "cautiously  optimistic" that the Indian government would permit it to fly abroad in the near future. "If for some reasons, they don't, we may think of flying into India from the US and back, " he added.

Under the current rules, a domestic airline can launch global operations only if it has a fleet of 20 aircraft and has put in five years of operations within India. Mallya said that he hoped that the civil aviation ministry would review its policy.