Jun 06, 2025 08:30 AM IST

#Vijay Mallya claimed that he had approached then finance minister #Pranab Mukherjee with a plan to downsize operations, however his plea was met with resistance.

Fugitive businessman #Vijay Mallya, who’s going through fraud and cash laundering fees amounting to 9,000 crore, has opened up concerning the downfall of #Kingfisher Airlines in a podcast interview with Raj Shamani.

#Vijay Mallya spoke at size concerning the #Kingfisher Airlines disaster throughout a podcast with Raj Shamani.

Reflecting on the demise of #Kingfisher Airlines, Mallya pointed squarely to the 2008 international monetary meltdown. “So agreed then it worked in your favour till 2008. What happened then? Simple. You ever heard of #Lehman Brothers? You ever heard of the global financial crisis, right? Did it not impact #India? Of course, it did,” he mentioned.

He continued, highlighting the broader financial fallout: “Every sector was hit. The money stopped. It got dry. The value of the #Indian rupee also took a hit.”

#Kingfisher Airlines’ rise and fall

#Kingfisher Airlines, launched with a lot fanfare in 2005, rapidly gained a fame for luxurious service however struggled financially as financial situations worsened. Mallya claimed that he had approached then finance minister #Pranab Mukherjee with a plan to downsize operations. “I went to Shri #Pranab Mukherjee… and said I have a problem. #Kingfisher Airlines needs to downsize, cut the number of aircraft, and lay off employees, as I can’t afford to operate under these depressed economic circumstances,” he mentioned.

According to Mallya, his plea was met with resistance. “I was told not to downsize. You continue, banks will support you. That is how it all started. #Kingfisher Airlines has been forced to suspend all of its flights. #Kingfisher Airlines has been struggling. At the time when you asked loan, the company was not doing that great,” he mentioned.

Mallya left #India in 2016 and has since been residing within the #United Kingdom. He is presently preventing extradition to #India.

Also learn: #Vijay Mallya requested if he would return to #India on podcast. His ‘fair trial’ reply

Full Vijay Mallay interview with Raj Shamani

Mallya on being referred to as a ‘chor’

On the podcast, Mallya additionally addressed the label of “fugitive” and challenged the general public notion of him as a thief. “Call me a fugitive for not going to #India post-March (2016). I didn’t run away, I flew out of #India on a prescheduled visit. Fair enough, I did not return for reasons that I consider are valid, so if you want to call me a fugitive, go ahead, but where is the ‘chor’ coming from… where is the ‘chori’?” he requested.

Earlier this 12 months, Mallya informed the Karnataka High Court that the 6,200 crore he owes to #Indian banks has been “recovered multiple times over.” He requested a full accounting of the quantities recovered from him, United Breweries Holdings Limited (UBHL, now below liquidation), and different related events.