Vijay Mallya takes Rs 1.7-cr pay package from US brewery

April 18, 2016

London/Washington, Apr 18: Beleaguered liquor baron Vijay Mallya got a pay package of over Rs 1.7 crore last year from his US-based brewery firm that itself is struggling for funds.

The firm has been served “default” notices by lenders.
More than half of Mallya’s total package for 2015 has been paid by California-based Mendocino Brewing Company (MBC) Inc to him for “promoting” the company’s beer brands.

Mallya serves as the chairman of the board of directors of the company, which has an exclusive licence to brew and distribute Kingfisher premium lager in various countries. Besides, it produces and sells a number of craft beer brands.

United Breweries Holdings Ltd (UBHL), the holding firm of Mallya-led UB Group, is the “indirect majority shareholder” of MBC.

Total compensation

In its annual Form 10-K filing for the year 2015, submitted with the US markets’ regulator SEC, MBC has disclosed that Mallya was paid a total compensation of USD 256,900 (about Rs 1.71 crore), unchanged from the previous year. “Vijay Mallya, chairman of the board, is paid $120,000 per year by MBC for services rendered as chairman, and 89,600 British pound per year by UBIUK for promoting our products in the foreign territory outside the United Kingdom,” it said.

MBC’s foreign operations are conducted through wholly-owned subsidiary United Breweries International UK Ltd and a step-down unit Kingfisher Beer Europe Ltd.

The two largest shareholders of Mendocino are United Breweries America (UBA) and Inversiones, both of which are controlled by Rigby International Corp, which in turn, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of UBHL.

Charges denied

Meanwhile, Mallya’s UB Group “strenuously denied” the allegation by the Enforcement Directorate that he siphoned off nearly Rs 430 crore from the loan extended to Kingfisher Airlines by IDBI bank for acquiring property abroad.

Mallya & MBC

Mallya serves as chairman of the board of directors
He was paid a total compensation of USD 256,900 (Rs 1.71 cr)
The liquor baron controls over 68% shareholding held through UBHL in MBC
MBC, in financial trouble, is exploring options including mergers and asset sales

RBS to terminate credit line to KF Beer

Vijay Mallya’s troubles do not seem to be limited to India, with the global banking major RBS planning to terminate next month a credit line and all other banking services provided to his European beer venture, PTI reports from London.

This has forced Kingfisher Beer Europe Limited, owned by Mallya through a complex web of entities, to look for alternative avenues to replace the credit line.

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India’s Tougher Pilot Fatigue Rules: Why IndiGo’s Operations Crashed Into Turbulence

News Network

December 6,2025

New Delhi: IndiGo, India’s largest airline, faced major operational turbulence this week after failing to prepare for new pilot-fatigue regulations issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The stricter rules—designed to improve flight safety—took effect in phases through 2024, with the latest implementation on November 1. IndiGo has acknowledged that inadequate roster planning led to widespread cancellations and delays.

Below are the key DGCA rules that affected IndiGo’s operations:

1. Longer Mandatory Weekly Rest

Weekly rest for pilots has been increased from 36 hours to 48 hours.

The government says the extended break is essential to curb cumulative fatigue. This rule remains in force despite the current crisis.

2. Cap on Night Landings

Pilots can now perform only two night landings per week—a steep reduction from the earlier limit of six.

Night hours, defined as midnight to early morning, are considered the least alert period for pilots.

Given the disruptions, this rule has been temporarily relaxed for IndiGo until February 10.

3. Reduced Maximum Night Flight Duty

Flight duty that stretches into the night is now capped at 10 hours.

This measure has also been kept on hold for IndiGo until February 10 to stabilize operations.

4. Weekly Rest Cannot Be Replaced With Personal Leave

Airlines can no longer count a pilot’s personal leave as part of the mandatory 48-hour rest.

Pilots say this closes a loophole that previously reduced actual rest time.

Currently, all airlines are exempt from this rule to normalise travel.

5. Mandatory Fatigue Monitoring

Airlines must submit quarterly fatigue reports along with corrective actions to DGCA.

This system aims to create a transparent fatigue-tracking framework across the industry.

The DGCA has stressed that these rules were crafted to strengthen flight safety and align India with global fatigue-management standards. The temporary relaxations are expected to remain until February 2025, giving IndiGo time to stabilise its schedules and restore normal air travel.

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