Kingfisher Airlines

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Kingfisher Airlines

IATA IT
Founded Commenced operations

ICAO KFR
2003

Callsign KINGFISHER

9 May 2005

Bengaluru International Airport (Bangalore)

Hubs

Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (Mumbai)

Secondary hubs

Indira Gandhi International Airport (Delhi)

Chennai International Airport Pune International Airport

Focus cities

Frequent-flyer program Airport lounge Alliance

King Club Kingfisher Lounge Oneworld (future)

Subsidiaries Fleet size Destinations

Kingfisher Xpress 25 27 [1]

Company slogan Fly The Good Times Parent company United Breweries Group Headquarters The Qube, Mumbai, Maharashtra[2][3]

Vijay Mallya (CMD) Sanjay Aggarwal (CEO) Hitesh Patel (EVP)

Key people

Website

flykingfisher.com

Kingfisher Airlines Limited is an airline group based in India. Its head office is in Andheri (East), Mumbai and Registered Office in UB City, Bangalore. Kingfisher Airlines, through its parent company United Breweries Group, has a 50% stake in low-cost carrier Kingfisher Red. The airline has been facing financial issues for many years.[4] Until December 2011, Kingfisher Airlines had the second largest share in India's domestic air travel market. However due to the severe financial crisis faced by the airline, it has the fifth largest market share currently, only above GoAir.[5] Kingfisher Airlines was the holder (along with only seven other airlines) of the 5-star rating by Skytrax along with Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, Asiana Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and Hainan Airlines[6]. However, in light of the current turmoil of the airlines, Skytrax ranking for Kingfisher Airlines has now been suspended [7]. Kingfisher operates 120 daily flights with regional and long-haul international services.[8] In May 2009, Kingfisher Airlines carried more than 1 million passengers, giving it the highest market share among airlines in India.[9] Kingfisher also won the Skytrax award for India's best airline of the year 2011. Kingfisher Airlines is also the sponsor of F1 racing outfit, Force India, which Vijay Mallya also owns.[10]

Contents
[hide]

1 History o 1.1 Financial difficulties o 1.2 Operational performance 2 Destinations o 2.1 Codeshare agreement 3 Corporate affairs 4 Fleet o 4.1 Current o 4.2 Pre-2012 Fleet o 4.3 New aircraft orders and deliveries 5 Services o 5.1 Cabin classes 5.1.1 Domestic 5.1.1.1 Kingfisher First 5.1.1.2 Kingfisher Class 5.1.1.3 Kingfisher Red 5.1.2 International 5.1.2.1 Kingfisher First 5.1.2.2 Kingfisher Class 5.1.3 Cargo 5.1.3.1 Kingfisher Xpress o 5.2 In-flight entertainment o 5.3 King Club o 5.4 Kingfisher Lounge 6 Awards and achievements 7 Accidents and incidents 8 See also 9 References 10 External links

[edit] History
Kingfisher Airlines was established in 2003. It is owned by the Bengaluru based United Breweries Group. The airline started commercial operations in 9 May 2005 with a fleet of four new Airbus A320-200s operating a flight from Mumbai to Delhi.[11] It started its international operations on 3 September 2008 by connecting Bengaluru with London. The airline is currently going through some bankruptcy problems, forcing the airline to ground many destinations and aircraft.

[edit] Financial difficulties

Main article: Kingfisher Airlines financial crisis

Ever since the airline commenced operations in 2005, it has been reporting losses. After acquiring Air Deccan, Kingfisher suffered a loss of over 1,000 crore (US$199.5 million) for three consecutive years. By early 2012, the airline accumulated losses of over 7,000 crore (US$1.4 billion) with half of its fleet grounded and several members of its staff going on strike. Kingfisher's position in top Indian airlines on the basis of market share had slipped to 5 from 2 because of the crisis. As response, Dr. Vijay Mallya called on the Chairman of Central Board of Excise and Customs and offered to pay up the dues by 13 December 2011.[12] The Kingfisher bank accounts were unfrozen on 14 December 2011.[13] Due non-payment, several Kingfisher's vendors had filed winding up petition with the High Court. As on November 2011, winding up petition of seven creditors was pending before the Bangalore High Court.[14] In the past Lufthansa Technik & Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) had also filed winding up petition against Kingfisher Airlines[15] During late February 2012, Kingfisher Airlines started to sink into a fresh crisis. Several flights were cancelled and aircraft were grounded. The cash-strapped airline claimed that the disruptions will continue for four days due to unexpected events including bird strikes which rendered aircraft out of service. The airline shut down most international short-haul operations and also temporarily closed bookings. Out of the 64 aircraft, only 22 were known to be operational by 20 February. With this, Kingfisher's market share clearly dropped to 11.3%.[16] The cancellation of the flights was accompanied by a 13.5% drop in the stocks of the company on 20 February 2012. The CEO of the airlines, Sanjay Agarwal was summoned by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to explain the disruptions of the operations.[17] In March 2012, the airline was suspended by the International Air Transport Association from using its inter-airline fund clearing system, the suspension means the airline will have to deal directly with other airlines when sharing revenue on services.[18] The tax authorities in India have frozen accounts due to Income Tax deducted from Employees Salaries and not deposited with the Government since March 2009, apart from non payment of Service Tax. Due to the ongoing financial crisis, an Airbus A330-200 aircraft was impounded at London Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom under Court Orders due to unpaid fees to aircraft leasing companies and RBS.

[edit] Operational performance

Kingfisher Airlines Statistics[citation needed] Year ended Passengers carried % Change Average load factor (%) April 2007 March 2008 12,414,336 61% April 2008 March 2009 10,850,359 12.6% 60% April 2009 June 2009 2,851,360 69%

[edit] Destinations

Main article: Kingfisher Airlines destinations As of 5 April 2012, Kingfisher Airlines serves 26 domestic destinations within India and 1 international destination (London Heathrow). Kingfisher's short haul routes are mostly domestic apart from some cities in South Asia, Southeast Asia and Western Asia. All short haul routes are operated on the Airbus A320 family aircraft. ATR 42s and ATR 72s are used mainly on domestic regional routes. Its first long haul destination was London, United Kingdom which was launched in September 2008. It has plans to launch new long haul flights to cities in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania with deliveries of new aircraft. All long haul routes used to be operated on the Airbus A330-200. It will stop operating all international flights from 9 April 2012. [19]

[edit] Codeshare agreement

Prior to the suspension from IATA, Kingfisher had codeshare agreements with:

American Airlines (Oneworld)[20] Philippine Airlines[21]

[edit] Corporate affairs

Kingfisher's head office is located in The Qube in Andheri (East), Mumbai and its registered office is located in UB City, Bangalore.[22][23] Its head office was previously in the Kingfisher House in Vile Parle (East), Mumbai.[24] In 2012 Vijay Mallya was trying to sell the Vile Parle Kingfisher House.[25]

[edit] Fleet
[edit] Current

Airbus A319 on runway of Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad

ATR 72-500

Airbus A320-200 taxiing at HAL Airport, Bangalore

Airbus A330-200 Due to the financial problems of Kingfisher Airlines, the fleet was drastically reduced from 63 to 25. A majority of the fleet was repossessed by lessors in March 2012.[26] Although Airbus has not cancelled/suspended the orders yet [27], but it is unlikely that Kingfisher Airlines will start taking the deliveries in near future. The Kingfisher Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of April 2012):[28] Kingfisher Airlines Fleet Aircraft Airbus A319-133 Airbus A320-232 Airbus A321-232 Airbus A330-223 ATR 42-500 ATR 72-500 Boeing 727-044 Total In Fleet 1 7 1 1 2 12 1 25 VIP for UB Group Dry leased Notes VIP for UB Group 2 stored at BOM

[edit] Pre-2012 Fleet

Kingfisher Airlines' fleet mainly consisted of ATR 42, ATR 72 and Airbus A320 family aircraft for domestic and short haul services and Airbus A330-200s for international long-haul services. The average age of its fleet as of January 2009 was 2.3 years. All ATR's and a few aircraft from the A320 family are used for Kingfisher Red service. Up until March 2012, Kinfisher Airlines had the following fleet: Kingfisher Airlines Fleet[29] Aircraft Airbus A319-100 Airbus A320-200 Total 3 10 3 8 Airbus A321-200 Airbus A330-200 Airbus A350-800 Airbus A380-800 ATR 42-500 ATR 72-500 Total 6 2 4 2 17 8 63 15 5 5 92 5 20 25 0 0 0 0 67 Orders Options Passengers P 0 20 0 0 32 0 30 Y 144 114 174 180 119 199 187 TBA 0 48 66 72 800 48 66 72 Total 144 134 174 180 151 199 217 Notes All dry-leased 11 dry-leased Deliveries were throughout up until 2016 2 dry leased Deliveries were throughout up until 2015 Deliveries were planned: 2015 Deliveries were planned: 2014 All dry leased

[edit] New aircraft orders and deliveries

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(December 2010)

On 21 July 2004, it signed a MoU with Airbus for four A320-200s with options for eight more[citation needed]. The first four A320-200s were leased from debis airfinance. On 23 February 2005, it signed a contract with Airbus for three Airbus A319-100s and firm orders for ten A320-200s with options for twenty more.[30] On 25 April 2005, it took the delivery of its first Airbus A320-200 aircraft[31] which was used to start operations in 9 May 2005.

On 15 June 2005, it created history by becoming the first Indian airline to place orders for the Airbus A330, Airbus A350 and Airbus A380 aircraft. The order was for five A330-200s, five A350-800s and five A380-800s.[32] On 21 November 2005, it placed another order for thirty Airbus A320 family aircraft.[33] On 24 April 2006 at Hannover, it became the first Indian airline yet again to place orders for the Airbus A340 aircraft. The order was for five A340-500s.[34] However, these A340-500 orders were cancelled in 2008 due to worldwide economic recession which resulted in skyrocketing of petroleum prices across the world in July 2008. On 20 June 2007 at the 2007 Paris Airshow, it signed a MoU with Airbus for twenty Airbus A320 family aircraft, ten Airbus A330-200s, five Airbus A340-500s and fifteen Airbus A350800s.[35] The order for five A340-500s were converted to A330-200s in 2008 after the cancellation of the initial five A340-500 order which was placed in April 2006 at Hannover. On 14 July 2008, Kingfisher unveiled its first ever wide-body aircraft, an Airbus A330-200 (registered VT-VJL) at the 46th Farnborough Airshow held in July 2008. Kingfisher's first Airbus A330-200 was widely billed (according to the airline's press release) as the best A330200 ever built by Airbus.[36]

[edit] Services
[edit] Cabin classes
[edit] Domestic
[edit] Kingfisher First

The domestic Kingfisher First seats have a 48 inch seat pitch and a 126 degree seat recline. There are laptop and mobile phone chargers on every seat. Passengers can avail of the latest international newspapers and magazines. There is also a steam ironing service on board Kingfisher First cabins. Every seat is equipped with a personalised IFE system with AVOD which offers a wide range of Hollywood and Bollywood movies, English and Hindi TV programmes, 16 live TV channels and 10 channels of Kingfisher Radio. Passengers also get BOSE noise cancellation headphones. Domestic Kingfisher First is only available on selected Airbus A320 family aircraft.
[edit] Kingfisher Class

The domestic Kingfisher Class has 32-34 inch seat pitch. Every seat is equipped with personal IFE systems with AVOD on-board the Airbus A320 family aircraft. As in Kingfisher First, passengers can access movies, English and Hindi TV programmes, a few live TV channels powered by DishTV, and Kingfisher Radio. The screen is

controlled by a controller-console on the seat armrest. Earcup headphones are provided free of cost to all passengers. The default channel shows, alternating every few seconds, the aeroplane's ground speed, outside temperature, altitude, distance and time to destination, the position of the aircraft on a graphical map, and one or more advertisements. Passengers are served meals on most flights. Before take-off, passengers are served bottled lemonade.

Economy class meal on-board a Kingfisher Airlines domestic flight

[edit] Kingfisher Red

Main article: Kingfisher Red

After Kingfisher Airlines acquired Air Deccan, its name was changed to Simplifly Deccan and subsequently to Kingfisher Red. Kingfisher Red is Kingfisher Airline's low-cost class on domestic routes. A special edition of Cine Blitz magazine is the only reading material provided. Kingfisher Airlines is the first airline in India to extend its King Club frequent flyer program to its low-cost carrier as well. Passengers can earn King Miles even when they fly Kingfisher Red, which they can redeem for free tickets to travel on Kingfisher Airlines or partner airlines. [edit] International
[edit] Kingfisher First

The international Kingfisher First has full flat-bed seats with a 180 degree recline, with a seat pitch of 78 inches, and a seat width of 20-24.54 inches.[37] Passengers are given Merino wool blankets, a Salvatore Ferragamo toiletry kit, a pyjama to change into, five-course meals and alcoholic beverages. Also available are in-seat massagers, chargers and USB connectors. Every Kingfisher First seat has a 17 inch widescreen personal television with AVOD touchscreen controls and offers 357 hours of programming content spread over 36 channels,

including Hollywood and Bollywood movies along with 16 channels of live TV, so passengers can watch their favorite TV programmes live. There is also a collection of interactive games, a jukebox with customisable playlists and Kingfisher Radio. Passengers are given BOSE noise cancellation headphones. The service on board the Kingfisher First cabins includes a social area comprising a full-fledged bar staffed with a bartender, a break-out seating area just nearby fitted with two couches and bar stools, a full-fledged chef on board the aircraft and any-time dining. A turn-down service includes the conversion of the seat into a fully flat bed and an air-hostess making the bed when the passenger is ready to sleep. Both Kingfisher First and Kingfisher classes feature mood lighting on the Airbus A330-200 with light schemes corresponding to the time of day and flight position.
[edit] Kingfisher Class

The international Kingfisher Class seats offer a seat pitch of 34 inches, a seat width of 18 inches and a seat recline of 25 degrees (6 inches). Passengers get full length modacrylic blankets, full size pillows and meals. Each Kingfisher Class seat has a 10.6 inch widescreen personal television with AVOD touchscreen controls. The IFE is similar to that of the international Kingfisher First class. It can also be controlled by a detachable remote-control console fitted in the armrest. This device can be used to control the IFE, reading-lights, play games and even has a credit-card swipe for shopping on Kingfisher's 'Air Boutique'. It also has a facility for sending text-messages, though the service isn't provided by Kingfisher. [edit] Cargo
[edit] Kingfisher Xpress

Further information: Kingfisher Xpress Kingfisher Xpress is a new Door-to-Door cargo delivery service from Kingfisher Airlines. Kingfisher Xpress same day service will be India's first and only same day delivery by air service.

[edit] In-flight entertainment

Kingfisher's IFE system is the Thales TopSeries i3000/i4000 on-board the Airbus A320 family aircraft, and Thales TopSeries i5000 on-board the Airbus A330 family aircraft provided by the France-based Thales Group.[38] Kingfisher was the first Indian airline to have in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems on every seat even on domestic flights. All passengers were given a "welcome kit" consisting of goodies such as a pen, facial tissue and headphones to use with the IFE system. Now, passengers of Kingfisher

class are not given "welcome kits" but, as mentioned earlier, a complimentary bottle of lemonade and earphones for use with the IFE are still given. The inflight magazines are special editions of magazines owned by Mallya's media publishing house (VJM Media) viz. Hi! Blitz for domestic flights and Hi! Living for international flights. Initially, passengers were able to watch only recorded TV programming on the IFE system, but later an alliance was formed with Dish TV to provide live TV in-flight.[39] And in a marked departure from tradition, Kingfisher Airlines decided to have an on-screen safety demonstration using the IFE system; however the conventional safety briefing by the flight attendants still exists on many flights.

[edit] King Club

The Frequent-flyer program of Kingfisher Airlines is called the King Club in which members earn King Miles every time they fly with Kingfisher or its partner airlines, hotels, car rental, finance and lifestyle businesses. There are four levels in the scheme: Red, Silver,Gold and Platinum levels. Members can redeem points for over a number of schemes. Platinum, Gold and Silver members enjoy access to the Kingfisher Lounge, priority check-in, excess baggage allowance, bonus miles, and 3 Kingfisher First upgrade vouchers for Gold membership. Platinum members get 5 upgrade vouchers.

[edit] Kingfisher Lounge

Kingfisher Lounges are offered to Kingfisher First passengers, along with King Club Silver and King Club Gold members. Lounges are located in:

Bangalore International Airport Chennai International Airport Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (Mumbai) Cochin International Airport (Kochi) Indira Gandhi International Airport (Delhi) London Heathrow Airport Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (Kolkata) Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (Hyderabad)

However, note that the airlines has suspended operation in Kochi, Kolkata and Hydrabad.

[edit] Awards and achievements

Adrian Sutil is pursued by Lewis Hamilton at the 2010 Malaysian GP. Kingfisher is a sponsor of Force India

Kingfisher Airlines frequent flyer programme, King Club has won Top Honours at the 21st Annual Freddie Awards in the Japan, Pacific, Asia and Australia region. o King Club has won the Freddie Awards 2008 in the following categories: Best Bonus Promotion Best Customer Service Best Member Communications (First Runner-up) Best Award Redemption (First Runner-up) Best Elite Level (Second Runner-up) Best Website (Second Runner-up) Program of the Year (Second Runner-up) Kingfisher Airlines has received three global awards at the Skytrax World Airline Awards 2010 o Named Best Airline In India / Central Asia; Best Cabin Crew Central Asia. o Kingfisher RED named Best Low Cost Airline in India / Central Asia. NDTV Profit Business Leadership Award for Aviation. India's only 5 Star airline, rated by Skytrax and 6th airline in the world. Rated India's Second Buzziest Brand 2008 by The Brand Reporter. Ranked amongst India's Top Service Brands of 2008 by Pitch Magazine. Voted as India's Favourite Airline. Rated as Asia Pacific's Top Airline Brand. Brand Leadership Award. Economic Times Avaya Award 2006 for Excellence in Customer Responsiveness. India's No. 1 Airline in customer satisfaction by Business World. Rated amongst India's most respected companies by Business World. Rated amongst India's 25 Innovative Companies by Planman Media in 2006. The Best Airline" and "India's Favourite Carrier' in a Survey conducted by IMB for The Times Of India. Best New Domestic Airline for Excellent Services and Cuisine by Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA). Service Excellence 2005-2006 for a New Airline by Skytrax. Ranked Third in the survey on India's Most Successful Brand launch of 2005 under the Brand Derby Survey conducted by Business Standard. Buzziest Brands of 2005 by agencyfaqs and The Brand Reporter. Rated amongst the Top Ten Internet Advertisers by Yahoo.

Rated amongst the top ten in the Best Television Commercial Jingles by NDTV. Best New Airline of the Year Award for 2005 by Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) Award in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East region. Listed in the top 100 most trusted brand in The Brand Trust Report.