'As long as KFA has 5 flights, licence can't be cancelled'

In an exclusive interview with CNBC-TV18, civil aviation minister Ajit Singh today said that Kingfisher has submitted a new flight schedule to the regulator and that the licence cannot be cancelled until the airline is operating five daily flights and has sufficient equity capital.

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He, however, added that the rules can be tweaked if passenger safety is at risk. " If passenger safety is in danger in any way, the DGCA can cancel the airline’s licence, said Singh. He warned that if the airline wants to be in a safe place it must not only comply with passenger safety norms but also take care of its financial situation.

Defending the debt-laden carrier’s chairman, Singh said Mallya has earlier submitted two revised schedules and adhered to it. By shutting the airline, various jobs and passengers will be impacted, he said." Government will like to see Kingfisher to continue its operations," he said, adding that Kingfisher is now paying its dues to Airport Authority of India, which it wasn’t doing earlier.

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Admitting that the airline has also faced a pilot-crunch, Singh assured that it the DGCA will look at the new schedule and will make sure that things go according to the plan.