Aviation Minister Said Resumption Of Operations Would Be 'Very Difficult'

India's embattled Kingfisher Airlines may not be able to return to operations, according to that country's aviation chief. Ajit Singh, India's civil aviation minister, told New Delhi Television on Monday that getting the airline flying again would be "very difficult."

Aviation regulators in India suspended the flying license of the airline on Saturday. The airline has not flown since October 1 when employees walked off their jobs over unpaid salaries. 

The French news service AFP reports that the airline owes the government billions of dollars in taxes and airport fees, and is far behind in compensation for employees, as many as 4,000 of whom have not been paid for as long as seven months. The unpaid employees include pilots, flight attendants, ground crews and support staff. In what was described as a "desperate bid" to return to operations, the airline reportedly put forth a plan to give employees at least three months' pay by the middle of November.

The directors of the airline are reportedly looking for a foreign investor to buy the debt-ridden and cash-strapped airline, but analysts say that a rescue is unlikely at this point. The airline was India's second largest until 2011, but now commands just 3.5 percent of the market, making it the country's smallest airline.

Adding to its problems are refusals by local banks to loan money to the struggling airline. The banks already own about one-fourth of the carrier's total assets.

FMI: www.civilaviation.gov.in