Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines and state-owned NACIL owe public sector oil companies over Rs 2,241 crore as payment for jet fuel, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dinsha Patel said today.
As on December 31, 2008, the nation's largest domestic carrier Jet Airways, Vijay Mallaya-owned Kingfisher Airlines and National Aviation Co, which operates Air India and Indian Airlines, together owed Rs 3,607.85 crore as fuel payment.
Of this, Rs 1,366.39 crore was paid and the remaining Rs 2,241.46 crore was outstanding, he said in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha here.
Kingfisher has not paid Rs 744.92 crore to fuel retailers IndianOil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum while Jet owed the three oil firms Rs 731.31 crore. NACIL ran a total outstanding of Rs 765.23 crore as on December 31, 2008.
"The airlines have been informed that repeated defaults/delays in clearing their dues will constrain the oil marketing companies (IOC, BPCL and HPCL) to supply them the aviation turbine fuel (ATF) only on a cash and carry basis," he said.
Kingfisher Airlines owed HPCL Rs 523.45 crore and had paid only Rs 100.85 crore while it had paid only Rs 165.42 crore out of the Rs 333.96 crore outstanding it ran with BPCL. Of the Rs 172.78 crore outstanding with IOC, it had cleared only Rs 19 crore by December 31.