Vijay Mallya’s aircraft to go under hammer

The Bench of the Bombay High Court, in its earlier hearing, had said the aircraft was blocking the parking area of the airport and hence, should be taken away from the spot. (Representational Image)

The Official Liquidator attached to the Karnataka High Court informed the Bombay High Court on Tuesday that it was selling the luxury Airbus A319, which belonged to Vijay Mallya, chairman of the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines Ltd. Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) had filed a petition to have the aircraft removed from the area of operation at the Mumbai Airport.

A division Bench of the Bombay High Court, comprising Justices S C Dharmadhikari and P D Naik, noted that they were “happy” the liquidator had taken the step to sell the aircraft. The Bench, in its earlier hearing, had said the aircraft was blocking the parking area of the airport and hence, should be taken away from the spot.

The Bench asked the Director General of Civil Aviation and the Airports Authority of India to explore possibilities of moving the aircraft “…to avoid inconvenience, not only for the petitioner (MIAL), but also for passengers”.

The bench further said, “We hope and trust that before the next hearing, there would be arrangements made for shifting this aircraft from its present location/site.” The court will hear the matter on April 23.