Kingfisher owes about Rs 295 cr to AAI

Private airlines owe a total of Rs 710.14 crore to the AAI.

Defunct Kingfisher Airlines owes the Airport Authority of India (AAI) Rs 294.57 crore (Rs 2.94 billion) and three cases in the court have already been initiated in this regard, government said on Tuesday.

During the Question Hour in Rajya Sabha, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said that of these three cases, one is a recovery suit filed at the High Court in Mumbai while the other two are bounced cheque cases, which are slated to come up in court later this month.

Total dues worth Rs 710.14 crore (Rs 7.10 billion) are owed by private airlines to the AAI, Raju said, adding among the other airlines which owed money to the AAI were Indigo (Rs 71.81 crore), Jet Airways (Rs 41.16 crore) and Spicejet (Rs 63.28 crore).

As members pressed for more details, Raju said legal processes have been initiated and added that "this should not have ever happenned but we cannot set the clock back". He said the government would try not to make the "mistakes of the previous government."

Upset at the Minister's remarks, Congress member Vijaylaxmi Sadho said rather than blaming the previous UPA regime, the government should say what it was doing to get the dues back.

A Congress member also sought to know the amount owed by Air India to the AAI. The minister said Air India "owes a lot of money" and he would provide the details to the members.