Kingfisher Air to take off on May 9

Kingfisher Airlines, the budget airline promoted by liquor baron Vijay Mallya, plans to launch its operations from May 9 after taking delivery of the first of its initial batch of six aircraft on April 26.

The airline has acquired parking rights in the New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore airports, but is still awaiting clearances from the DGCA on the scheduling proposals, Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the civil aviation ministry as regards takeoff rights, Kingfisher Airlines President and Chief Operating Officer Alex Wilcox said. ‘‘We met the DGCA yesterday and have been in talks with AAI for the past six months,’’ he told The Indian Express on the sidelines of the Global Travel and Tourism Summit on Friday.

Kingfisher, subject to getting approval from these bodies, plans to fly to metros from the scheduled date. The airline also plans to fly beyond the metros, with Goa being the first such locale on its flight radar, Wilcox said.