He proved it once again when he reportedly had beer -- and other kinds of liquor -- served on the A380, the big bird from Airbus Industrie on its first flight within India. This he did notwithstanding the fact that serving liquor on domestic flights is prohibited.
We don't have an official explanation as to how he managed it and Mallya did not crow about it but he did so in the presence of who matter, including Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel on the Delhi-to-Delhi demonstration flight of the Airbus 380. The flight on May 7 went up to Jaipur and flew back.
But it would be right to say: We know why he did it.
You see, a Kingfisher Airlines is a brand extension of his Kingfisher brand of beer that is a lifestyle product and he is hell bent on beer serving it on his airlines. What better than having it on board the flights within India and letting the passengers quaff it in good measure? For the highfliers, once high on his brand of beer, it gets associated with the 'live king size' outlook of Mallya.
Again, look at the way he pitched his brand higher than its status; he had his Kingfisher beer served when the other option was Dom Perignon, along, of course, with mushrooms. You see, it was also the second anniversary of his airlines.
It is quite possible that the officialdom would explain it away saying it was not a commercial but a demonstration flight. Yes, it was indeed that where not just the big bird but Vijay Mallya with his Kingfisher that was on a demonstration. I wasn't there but I am sure Mallya did not sip Dom Perignon but held his beer in a mug.
At a cocktail party after a meeting of the Civil Aviation Committee held in Mumbai some two years ago, I had asked him what he intended to achieve now that apart from breweries, a yacht, personal jet aircraft and now an airline of his own, he responded in his characteristic blunt manner that one day: "I want to help loosen the rules so beer can be served on domestic flights." Imagine, beer at 35,000 feet.
Now he has done it. Would it now become commonplace on his Kingfisher airline?
One, of course, does not know if the beer, when served, would be complimentary like tea and coffee (but actually charged for in the ticket or how else does a low-cost airline cut fares by not serving the stuff?) or be charged for. That is something we would know when the 'rules are loosened.'
One suspects that if Mallya is on the Standing Committee of Parliament on Civil Aviation, he is there to look after his interests as well. From a public perspective, I think he is there despite the conflict of interest of his being in the civil aviation business, competing with not just the other private airlines but also the State-owned Indian airlines, and his being on the parliamentary panel on civil aviation.
It is something Naresh Goyal of Jet Airways and the Wadias of GoAir would not mind giving, I guess, their right arm to be there. Even Vishwapati Tripathi, the CMD of State-run Indian airline may have wistfully hoped being on that panel, instead of taking cues from the government all the time. And be berated by the critics of a supine PSU bending when asked to crawl.
An MP from Andhra Pradesh, who too is on the same parliamentary panel, even raised this issue of conflict of interest at one of the sittings. Civil Aviation Minister Patel just smiled faintly and moved on. Twice, actually, my source told me, in the course of one sitting.
But Mallya doing business and being in the business of politics as well is nothing new. A number of industrialists in the big league have got into Parliament, more of them in the Rajya Sabha, getting elected from friendly states. They were apparently there in the national interest of ensuring that the country is run well. One has to assume that getting close to the power corridors by being in Parliament is their way of doing service to the country. It also includes doing service to their business.
There have been eminent industrialists in the Rajya Sabha -- very few directly elected to the Lok Sabha -- that would need them to identify with political parties -- like Rama Prasad Goenka, K K Birla, et al. Of late, we have our Rahul Bajaj who is as articulate and blunt as Vijay Mallya. Bajaj has said he would air his views and seek policies that are helpful for industry, not his Bajaj Auto.
Others did whatever they did quietly. Mallya makes no bones about it.
A smart cookie, this Vijay Mallya is.
