India pulls Kingfisher's flying rights

NEW DELHI: India's aviation ministry said yesterday it had withdrawn international flying rights and domestic slots from debt-laden Kingfisher Airlines, making more seats available for rival carriers.

The government "has decided to withdraw all international bilateral traffic rights allocated to Kingfisher Airlines with immediate effect", an aviation ministry statement said.

Kingfisher's slots across India and routes to Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Dubai and Britain were seen as being of potential interest to a foreign buyer, which could save the carrier from bankruptcy.

The cancellation of these rights will make available 25,000 international seats a week for use by other Indian airlines to eight countries. AFP