"United Breweries Holdings has invested $40 million as fully paid capital in the airline. We plan to go public in the next 18 to 24 months or may be, even sooner," Kingfisher Airlines' president Alex Wilcox said on the sidelines of the 5th Global Travel and Tourism Summit in New Delhi.
The airline's aircraft would have an all-economy configuration and provide prices lower than other competing airlines, he said, adding "dynamic pricing" would be the key to the company's fare structure depending on seasonal as well as time of the day.
Refusing to divulge details of the fare structure, he said instead of the "nonsense Rs 500 fare, we will have to see how low we can go than our competitors. There will be different pricing for different timings in a day".
Its first aircraft - an A-320 - will be arriving early May and the first revenue flight would be launched on May 9, Wilcox said, adding while four aircraft would be leased, the airline would buy ten more A-320s and three A-319s in the near future. It would also have ten A-319s with purchase options.
By February next, the carrier would have a fleet size of 11 A-320s, he said, adding all the aircraft to be purchased would be self-financed.
Replying to questions on whether the airline would have advance purchase or other similar schemes, the Kingfisher president while not ruling them out said, "We would strive to provide value fares along with better than 'business class' experience".
For the first time in domestic aviation in India, all seats in the Kingfisher aircraft would have in-flight TV screens, besides a moving map. Small gift kits would also be given to the passengers, Wilcox said.
He claimed the launch of Kingfisher Airlines would "herald a new era in domestic air travel in the country and set a new benchmark in terms of the value proposition offered.
This proposition is unparalleled in the Indian market and travel by our airline will be a delightful mix of on-ground and in-flight experience".