Vijay Mallya tweets it is safe to fly on Kingfisher Airlines

Lambasting the Director General of Civil Aviation on the safety audit report of Kingfisher Airlines, the group chairman Vijay Mallya on Saturday said "the airlines is one thousand per cent safe to fly", adding safety is its top priority.

The DGCA was reportedly contemplating cancelling the airline's licence after it found in its report that the airlines' financial crisis could have a bearing on safe operations. It has been given time by the aviation watchdog till Jan 9 to give a detailed plan of the safety measures taken by the airline.

"Kingfisher is one thousand per cent safe to fly. Safety is our absolute priority. We would never take the slightest chance or compromise," Mallya posted on social networking site Twitter.

High-flier Mallya was caught in a pincer after DGCA rapped it on safety norms and its lender SBI called the airlines a non-performing asset this Thursday.

Taking a dig at the media too for the coverage on his beleaguered airline, Mallya said: "Looks like the over supply of Aviation journalists will have to take a pay cut if Kingfisher does not make daily headlines - correct or not!"

His comments come two days after airlines CEO Sanjay Aggarwal claimed that the DGCA had "no concerns with regard to safety" or any significant findings.

Reiterating that safety of passengers was of "paramount importance", Aggarwal also said Kingfisher Airlines had adequate number of pilots and engineers to operate its scheduled services.

"We reassure our valued guests that our scheduled flights will continue to operate with utmost safety in full compliance with regulatory requirements and stipulations in this regard," Aggarwal said.

Kingfisher Airlines' current woes have become a major drag on the stock prices of UB group's other companies. On Friday shares of four United Breweries (UB) group companies out of its six listed entities plunged amidst concerns on the survival of the airline.