Kingfisher seeks help to get its aircraft checked

Mumbai, Oct 2: Taking a cue from Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh's statement that

could approach other carriers for safety certification, the

-promoted airline has reportedly approached Air India and others for getting its aircraft checked for certification.

"Kingfisher Airlines is in talks with Air India, IndiGo and Jet Airways to get its aircraft certified by their engineers for flying," an airline source said on Monday evening.

All these carriers operate a mix of Airbus and Boeing fleet, while Kingfisher operates only Airbus planes.

"We can't allow Kingfisher to fly until their aircrafts are certified. (Since) their engineers are on strike, they can get the planes certified by other engineers also," Mr Singh had said earlier in the day.

However, the minister warned that if the Directorate General of Civil Aviation finds that Kingfisher is not sticking to its schedule or violating safety norms, action will be initiated.

Significantly, Mr Singh ruled out shutting down the airline saying, "the government is not in the business of shutting down businesses."

He said closing down of the airline would "create lot of problems. Even with the three per cent market share Kingfisher has, such a move will create a havoc."

PTI