 | ||
| Kingfisher Airlines | ||
|---|---|---|
| IATA IT | ICAO KFR | Callsign KINGFISHER |
| Founded | 2004 | |
| Hubs | Bangalore International Airport, Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Indira Gandhi International Airport, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport | |
| Frequent flyer program | King Club | |
| Fleet size | 158 (incl. 126 in order) | |
| Destinations | 29 | |
| Parent company | UB Group | |
| Company slogan | Fly The Good Times | |
| Headquarters | Bangalore, India | |
| Key people | Dr. Vijay Mallya, CMD Mr. Hitesh Patel, EVP Mr. Rajesh Verma, EVP Mr. A. Raghunathan, CFO | |
| Website: http://www.flykingfisher.com | ||
History
The airline started operations on 9 May 2005[1], following the lease of 4 Airbus A320 aircraft. As of July 2007, Kingfisher operates only on domestic routes, however it has announced plans to start flights to the USA with Airbus A380 aircraft. The airline is owned by the United Beverages Group under the leadership of Vijay Mallya (which also owns the popular Indian beer of the same name). The airline promises to suit the needs of air travellers and to provide reasonable air fares. Kingfisher Airlines' main "luxury" component is its In-Flight Entertainment System, a first among Indian airlines.[citation needed]. The airliners in-flight Mobile Phone and Internet Services will be provided by OnAir starting 2008 for longhaul flights.
Frequent Flyer Program
The Kingfisher Airlines Frequent Flyer Program is called King Club in which each time a passenger flies Kingfisher Airlines, passenger will be eligible for King Miles. King Miles can be redeemed King Rewards. The King Club programme has 3 Royal tiers - King Red tier, King Silver tier and the King Gold tier. Kingfisher Airlines recently announced a partnership with US based Continental Airlines in order to provide better service to customers traveling between India and the USA. As a part of this partnership, beginning October 1, 2007, passengers will be able to earn King Miles on all flights operated by Continental Airlines as well as Air France, KLM and Northwest Airlines.
- The airline was the first in India to initially, and to continue, to operate with all new aircraft.[citation needed]
- On 18 February 2005 Kingfisher Airlines signed a contract with Airbus for three Airbus A319 aircraft, adding to the 10 Airbus A320 aircraft (plus twenty options) ordered in January 2005. The first of the A319s will be delivered in December 2005, complementing the A320s on routes to smaller cities in India.[3]
- On June 15, 2005 it became the first (and only) Indian airline to order the Airbus A380. It placed orders for 5 A380s, 5 Airbus A350-800 aircraft and 5 Airbus A330-200 aircraft in a deal valued at over $3 billion. Delivery of the A330s is due to start in late 2007, followed by the A380s in 2010 and the A350s in 2012.
- On November 20, 2005 at the Dubai Air Show, Kingfisher Airlines announced that it would be buying 20 ATR 72-500s (plus 15 options). The deal is estimated to be worth $500 million dollars with the deliveries starting from March 2006. The last of the 20 planes would be handed over to Kingfisher Airlines by 2008. The first aircraft from that order was delivered to the airlines on March 31, 2006.[citation needed]
- On November 21, 2005 at the same air show, Kingfisher Airlines placed an order to acquire 30 more A320s in a deal estimated to be worth $2 billion. Engine making joint venture International Aero Engines will supply the engines for the planes. Deliveries for the planes are likely to start from 2008.[citation needed]
- On January 13, 2006 an Airbus A319 of Kingfisher Airlines was the first aircraft in that class to land on the short older runway at Mangalore airport.[4]
- On the April 24, 2006, Kingfisher signed a contract for five Airbus A340-500 HGWs. The airline plans to use this for its Bangalore-San Francisco and Mumbai-New York route. Delivery is expected for 2008.[5]
- Kingfisher has sold two Airbus A321s to Pegasus Aviation Finance in a sale and lease-back deal. Pegasus says in a statement that the two new-build A321-200s that are being prepared for delivery to Kingfisher will be the first of the stretched A320-family variant in India. Kingfisher already leases one A320 from Pegasus.[6]
- Kingfisher was also the first Indian airline to bring the latest super jumbo Airbus 380 to India. A 380 arrived on 6 may 2007 in New Delhi and in Mumbai on 8th May as part of Kingfisher's second anniversary celebrations
- On 20 Jun 2007 Kingfisher airlines announced to buy Airbus aircraft including an extra 15 A350-800 XWB jets worth $3 billion. The order also includes five four-engine A340-500 planes, 10 A330-200 wide-body models and 20 single-aisle A320-family jets. The order is worth a total of $7.2 billion at list prices. Kingfisher had already ordered 5 of the original version A350 and has upgraded these orders to the redesigned A350 XWB model
Sponsorship
Kingfisher Airlines is an official sponsor of the Panasonic Toyota F1 Team.[7] Kingfisher Airlines has entered a 2 year agreement to be a sponsor of Toyota F1 beginning in 2007. The "Fly Kingfisher" logo appears on the sides of the Toyota F1 Car and on the driver's overalls and helmet.[7]
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