NEW DELHI: Beleaguered and cash-strapped India private air carrier Kingfisher Airlines was forced to suspend its operations in several key cities, even as the company was forced to issue “stay at home” circulars to several thousand staffers in wake of a cash crunch. Sinking in a Rs 7,000 crore debt, company officials now claim that the suspending of operations in cities like Kolkata and tier two towns like Lucknow, Patna, Bhuvaneshwar and Thiruvananthapuram were part of the companies “holding plan” in wake of the cash crisis. Chaos however, reigned at these airports with passengers stranded by the sudden cancellation of pre-booked flights and no refunds coming their way. “Stuck. I have been stuck here for three hours. None of the airports staffers are telling us about when the refund will happen,” Amir Chaudhury told Bikyamasr.com from Lucknow. The airlines, owned by flamboyant Indian businessman and liquor baron Vijay Mallya, has been in a financial crisis for nearly a year now and the promoter has been lobbying with the Indian government for a bailout package. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/1rHgI Tags: airlines, Cities, India, Kingfisher, Travel Section: Latest News, South Asia, Travel
