Court orders arrest of Kingfisher Airlines boss

MUMBAI, India (AP) - An Indian court has ordered the arrest of the highflying owner of beleaguered Kingfisher Airlines on charges of bouncing checks.

The decision came as Mr Vijya Mallya's airline struggled for survival and appeared set to extend a suspension of flights it began on Oct 1.

A court in the southern city of Hyderabad issued an arrest warrant on Friday for Mr Mallya on charges his airline bounced four checks worth over 103 million rupees (S$2.4 million) to the consortium running the airport in the city.

The cash-strapped airline has stopped selling tickets on its website through Oct 20 as it struggles to convince pilots and engineers who haven't been paid for months to return to work.