German Bank DVB wants KFA planes de-registered

A demand for de-registration of two planes of the grounded Kingfisher Airlines was made by representatives of German Bank DVB at a meeting with aviation regulator DGCA here today.

Officials of the DVB, one of the largest global aviation financing banks, met DGCA chief Arun Mishra here and are understood to have pressed for de-registration of the two aircraft, official sources said.

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From the Kingfisher side, Executive Vice President Hitesh Patel was also present at the meeting, the sources said.

The two planes were sent to Turkey for repair and maintenance where DVB seized them. However, unless the planes are de-registered in the lessor country, the German Bank cannot reclaim them and lease or sell them to other carriers.

The sources said today's meeting remained inconclusive and another round would be held soon before any decision is taken by the DGCA.

After a Delhi High Court order, the Civil Aviation Ministry is understood to have favoured that 15 de-registered aircraft of Kingfisher should be released to the aircraft leasing firms, but no final decision has been taken so far.

Earlier the Airports Authority of India and other vendors to whom Kingfisher owed large sums of money, had decided not to release these planes till such time the bankrupt airline does not clear their dues.