Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has said the government will explore ways and means to help the cash strapped Kingfisher Airlines. Talking to reporters on board his special flight while returning from Maldives, Dr Singh said the private sector airlines should be managed more efficiently.

He however added that if they get into difficulties, government has to find ways and means to help them get out of the process. Dr. Singh said he will talk to the Civil Aviation Minister on ways to help the troubled airline.

Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Minister Vyalar Ravi has clarified that his ministry has not propsed any bailout package for the Kingfisher airlines. In a statement, the Minister denied media reports that a bailout package has been proposed by the Government for the airline.

The Owner of the Kingfisher Airline Vijay Mallya has also said that he has not asked for any bailout package. In a statement on a social networking site, Mallya questioned whether it is the airline's duty to operate on loss making routes. It is said that the airline has not made any profit since its inception in 2005.

AIR correspondent reports that Kingfisher has cancelled nearly 210 flights since Monday causing inconvenience to hundreds of passengers. The Director General of Civil Aviation DGCA has asked Kingfisher Airlines to give details of their plan to reconfigure its fleet to prevent a large-scale flight disruption.

DGCA chief E K Bharat Bhushan has warned that if the airlines were found not operating the slots allotted to them, these will be given to others who are willing to operate.