'Vijay Mallya's airbus as should be sold as scrap'

Mallya's airline was seized in 2013 and three failed attempts were made to sell the aircraft.

Mumbai, Dec 21: 'Sell it as scrap' is what Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) said about VIjay Mallya's Airbus A 319 which remains parked in the city's airport. The submission was made before the Bombay High Court on Tuesday. Further the MIAL also urged the court not to grant the service tax department any additional time to find a buyer for this aircraft.

The court was hearing a petition filed by the service tax department to recall the e-auction of the aircraft. The department told the court that the proceeds of the auction were low and the highest bid was only for 81.8 per cent of the reserve price. The department submitted that the aircraft should be valued at around 12 million dollars.

The MIAL, however, intervened and argued that it has been facing space crunch. The department should not be given any additional time to look for a new buyer. Instead CJ Leanings, the company that leased the aircraft to Mallya, should be asked if it was willing to buy back the plane, MIAL also argued.

MIAL also submitted that the plane is not in a condition to fly. It was seized in 2013 and three failed attempts were made to sell the aircraft. "It is no longer in a condition to fly and has turned into scrap," MIAL also argued. The court has granted the department time till January 19 2017 to get a revaluation of the plane done by experts.

OneIndia News