Kingfisher Airlines cuts more flights, DGCA contemplates action

NEW DELHI: Air services of cash-strapped Kingfisher Airlines were badly hit today with almost half of its flights from major metros cancelled or delayed, causing hardship to passengers and prompting aviation regulator DGCA to contemplate action against the beleaguered carrier.

A large number of flights including 16 from Mumbai and seven from Kolkata, four from Delhi were cancelled. These included destination flights to Singapore, Bangkok, Dhaka and Kathmandu.

Official sources confirmed the cancellation of large number fights at six major metros, including Hyderabad and Bangalore.


Alarmed over reports of large-scale flight disruptions, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has started gathering information on the cancellations and delays and would decide whether to initiate any action on the airline on that basis.

"We have received reports about large-scale cancellations. They are bound to inform us when they cut their schedule. But they have not done so," DGCA chief E K Bharat Bhushan told PTI.

He said if the reports were true, such large of flight disruption would constitute violation of rules.

"We are gathering information from all the centres. Once we get this, we will decide what to do," he said.

Under Rule 140(A) of the Aircraft Rules, 1937, operators require to have prior approval of DGCA to curtail their flight schedules.

Bhushan also said that messages have been sent by the DGCA to all other airlines to accommodate all passengers stranded due to these cancellations by Kingfisher.

"They have to do this without enhancing the fares," he said when asked about the severe hardships being faced by the passengers of cancelled Kingfisher flights.