Kingfisher Airlines: IATA suspension has 'negative' impact on bookings, working to defreeze accounts

Kingfisher Airlines VP corporate communications Prakash Mirpuri stated (14-Mar-2012) the suspension of its IATA Clearing House (ICH) and Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP) accounts had a negative impact on the carrier. The suspension, resulting from the freeze of the carrier's accounts by the tax authorities, means the airline has "suffered as guests are not able to book seamlessly through IATA travel agents as before". He continued: "This serious handicap has been partially mitigated by encouraging our travel partners to establish booking arrangements on their individual platforms. Nevertheless, this greatly influences our ability to operate certain flights and it is, therefore, incorrect to assume that pilots are solely responsible". The carrier "continues to work with the tax authorities to arrive at a solution to de-freeze our accounts as early as possible". [more - original PR]