New Delhi: American Navy and Air Force along with foreign civilian airlines owe the Airports Authority of India (AAI) over Rs 110 crore till March 2003, Lok Sabha was informed on August 4.

US Defence, Navy and Air Force together owe over Rs 3.23 crore as on March 31, 2003, Minister of state for Civil Aviation Rajiv P Rudy said during Question Hour.

There were 87 airlines, including the US armed forces, which owed over Rs 25 lakhs and their total amounted to Rs 8.82 crore.

The total of those carriers owing less than Rs 25 lakhs amounted to over Rs 2.21 crore, Rudy said.

In reply to another question, he said Indian Airlines (IA) had issued only 11 free tickets in the past three years and has decided to stop such arrangements.

Rudy replied in the negative when asked whether the IA management had caused "heavy losses" to the carrier by issuing such tickets.

PTI