Harwood: New man in

Mumbai, July 21: Vijay Mallya’s Kingfisher Airlines is planning to fly to foreign destinations sooner than envisaged. It is trying to work around the country’s legal framework that requires airlines to complete at least five years of domestic operations to become eligible for flying overseas destinations.

A company has been incorporated in the name of Kingfisher International Airlines in the US, Mallya told reporters today.

“I see no reason why the Indian government should not allow Kingfisher Airlines to operate in international routes. If they do not, then the alternative plan is to fly into the reverse direction under the banner of Kingfisher International Airlines.”

Kingfisher Airlines plans to go public by the end of this financial year or the first quarter of next fiscal when every employee will be given equity options. However, he did not elaborate on the size of the IPO.

Putting at rest rumours around president and COO Alex Wilcox, the company said he would continue to be the president and a member on the board of directors and the executive committee of Kingfisher Airlines Ltd.

Nigel Harwood, the former country manager of Airbus Industrie, has been appointed as the chief operating officer and he will be based in Mumbai.

Wilcox will be based in the US due to family considerations.

Earlier, Harwood had headed Rolls Royce. In his immediate previous assignment, he was sales chief with Airbus Industrie.