An habituated criminal involved in several heinous crimes floated the dream airlines in Kerala state, K K Praveen kumar of Kairali Airlines Limited, the company which plans to start business operations in the domestic aviation sector, is an accused in three cases registered by the Kerala Crime Branch relating to circulating counterfeit currency. A INN investigation into a recently announced budget airline in Kerala has revealed that the company’s chairman and managing director has a murky past.
Kaithakattu Krishnakutty Praveen kumar of Kairali Airlines Limited, the company which plans to start business operations in the domestic aviation sector, is an accused in three cases registered by the Kerala Crime Branch relating to circulating counterfeit currency. Vinson Paul, Additional Director General of Police, Crimes confirmed to INN that Praveen kumar was arrested thrice and convicted in one case related to circulating fake currency in the state. “He has filed an appeal in one case and is on bail in the other two cases. We are aware that he has set up a company to launch a budget airline from the state,” said Paul.
On 9 January this year, Praveen kumar, who now resides in Ashtamichira in the Thrissur district of Kerala, registered Kairali Airlines Limited with the corporate identification number U62100KL2013PLC033105, along with seven others including an Italian, Carlo Cefis based in Bergamo. Company information cites Jayakrishnan Thankappan Pillai, Varghese Bharanikulam Joseph, Unnikrishnan Naduvile Illam, Reshma Abdul Rasheed, Nangini Thomas and Benny Puthankudy Pouslose as the other directors of the company.
On 9 June, Praveen kumar addressed a press conference in Kochi and announced that his company would start flight services connecting Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode airports to Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Mangalore, Coimbatore and Lakshwadweep from 1 November 2013, a day celebrated as Kerala Day. He said the company was also planning to tie up with an international carrier for operations to Gulf nations. The Rs 350 crore airline project would offer domestic services with fares at least 25 percent lower than other services, he said.
On 15 June, the company logo was released at a function in Kochi by former ISRO Chairman Dr G Madhavan Nair. But Nair told INN that he was not aware about the questionable past of the businessman when he was invited for the function. “Praveen kumar met me a month earlier in Kochi and invited me for the launch of the company logo. He also mentioned that TKA Nair, advisor to the Prime Minister would be coming to attend the function as chief guest. So I accepted his invitation and attended the function. But during my brief interaction, I found that the group around him had people without basic knowledge about the industry,” Nair said. He also revealed that Praveen kumar wanted his consultancy services for the company, but he didn’t pursue the matter.
During the press conference, Praveen kumar was introduced as a businessman based in Dubai operating in Malaysia. Praveen kumar also told the media that the airline would start operations with five ATRs procured on a wet lease – a short term leasing agreement in which the lessor provides the aircraft, crew and maintenance of the airlines. According to the claims of the company, the Director General of Civil Aviation has given 80 per cent of the clearances required for the company to start operations. During the logo launching ceremony, all the directors were present.
A police official who had earlier arrested Praveen kumar in a fake currency case says after getting the bail he went missing for a year. “Praveen kumar was born in a poor family and ran a network of circulating fake currency and money laundering. His new avatar as a multi-billionaire really surprised me,” he says.
The Kerala police and intelligence wing have started probing into the business deals of the company. There are unconfirmed reports that some political leaders based in Kochi were promoting his company among the rich businessmen in the city. Despite repeated attempts, Praveen kumar was unavailable for comment.
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