Vijay Mallya, former boss of Kingfisher Airlines may
also lose his private jet as Mumbai International Airport (MIAL), where the
aircraft is parked, deciding to sell the mid-sized corporate jet.
MIAL issued a newspaper advertisement on Friday,
seeking an Expression of Interest for the purchase on an ‘as is where is’
basis. MIAL and UB Group did not respond on the topic and the nature of the
dispute between the two groups leading to the decision to sell the aircraft is
not known.
Under Section 8 of the Aircraft Act, 1934, airport
operators can detain planes but a court order is required to seize and sell an
aircraft in case of default in payment, sources said.
The nine-seater HS 125-700B aircraft is a
30-year-old plane registered in the name of Shaw Wallace and Company, Kolkata,
according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) records. The
aircraft was earlier owned by EIH (Oberoi group). Mallya’s UB Group acquired
Shaw Wallace in 2005 and is now a part of United Spirits.
Kingfisher Airlines faced difficulties in paying
suppliers and airports and was eventually grounded with its aircraft being
repossessed by lessors. According to DGCA records, Kingfisher still has five
ATRs, one Airbus A319 private jet flown by Mallya, and two EC-155B1 helicopters
registered in its name.
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