Vijay Mallya shows us the art of leaving

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Circa 2006: Vijay Mallya, chairman of the erstwhile Kingfisher Airlines, had called a select gathering of journalists at a plush south Mumbai hotel.

The occasion?

To announce an advisory board for the airline, then hardly a year old. But why did Mallya want to make such a show of a mere advisory board? He had good enough reason. There were eminent personalities from the aviation field worldwide.

On board was Sir Ralph Robins, former chairman of Rolls-Royce, Sir Colin Terry, former chief engineer and head of logistics, Royal Air Force, Stewart John, OBE, former engineering director of Cathay Pacific Airways, Karel H Ledeboe, former EVP (Operations) of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and COO of Swiss International Airline and David Turnbull, former Chairman of Swire Pacific Ltd and Cathay Pacific Airways.

Mallya, smoking a thin cigar and sipping his drink, hardly talked about his airline, and let the gentlemen gathered there do the talking. Some said they were excited about coming on board an airline as young as Kingfisher, as India’s potential in air travel was just unravelling.

Others likened him to the maverick British entrepreneur Richard Branson, owner of Virgin Atlantic, who used fun ways to promote his airline, posing with bikini-clad models and racing cars or performing other such stunts.

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