Kingfisher in no hurry for A380 delivery: Vijay Mallya
Kingfisher Airlines is in no hurry to take delivery of five Airbus A380 superjumbos it has on order and could push their arrival beyond 2016, Kingfisher Chairman Vijay Mallya told Reuters.
Kingfisher Airlines is in no hurry to take delivery of five Airbus A380 superjumbos it has on order and could push their arrival beyond 2016, Kingfisher Chairman Vijay Mallya told Reuters.
India's second-busiest airline is also holding off making a decision on which engines to put on the world's largest jetliner, postponing a choice between Rolls-Royce and a group led by General Electric and Pratt & Whitney."We haven't decided the delivery dates yet," Mallya said in an interview, asked when the USD 350-million jets would be in service.Pressed on whether it would be in 2016, he said: "That, I would say, is the earliest. We don't really need that kind of capacity right now. Five is a lot of seats to fill."Loss-making Kingfisher was reported earlier this year to have delayed taking delivery of the 525-seat airliner for a second time until 2016, from an original date of 2014.The aircraft has been hit by over two years of production delays but the setback suits some airlines whose cash flows have been squeezed by the financial crisis and high oil prices.Asked about the choice of engines, Mallya said: "There are two engine choices available, we haven't decided which one we are going to go for." Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
