Airbus has 'high hopes' for struggling Kingfisher

New York: Asked about recent financial difficulties at Airbus customer Kingfisher Airlines, Airbus sales chief John Leahy said the Indian airline was on an improved path.
"Kingfisher is one of our good customers. I have the highest regard for Vijay (Mallya, the airline's chairman). He has had some issues with the airline. He's bringing in a new management team now which I think is very important. He needs to keep his airplanes flying," Leahy said.
"I think he now understands that he has to drop some money losing routes and concentrate on the money making routes. You can't be all things to all people. We have high hopes that he'll get things sorted out. He needs to be more focused and he's now doing that."
Cash-strapped Kingfisher, controlled by liquor entrepreneur Vijay Mallya, has struggled to raise funds and cancelled hundreds of flights in November.
It delayed A380 orders indefinitely and industry sources said it was set to cancel two remaining orders for the A340, a four-engined aircraft that Airbus has meanwhile decided to stop making.
"There are no orders that are at risk in the production cycle. There are orders several years out that are not in the production cycle," Leahy said without elaborating.
Kingfisher has orders for five A350-800s, a variant of the future mid-sized A350 that Airbus has not yet started producing.
01/12/11 Reuters/IBN Live

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Categories: Foreign Dec 2011, Kingfisher Dec 2011