Hours after private airlines in India decided to suspend flights for a day on August 18, Mallya said that he is willing to talk to the Centre on proposed strike.
"We're willing to talk to the Centre on proposed strike. If they hear our demands we may call off the strike," he said.
Mallya demanded that tax regime should be amended. "It's unfair to ask us to divert other profits to aviation," added Mallya.
India's private carriers are up in arms and close on of the heels of the state-owned Air India asking for a bailout package. Private airline operators are pressing for lower taxes on everything from jet fuel to airport fee, saying they are crumbling under the burden of high costs.
Earlier during Federation of Airlines (FIA) meeting Mallya said if the government listened to the pleas that the private airlines have been making "well and good". "If not, all private airlines may have to suspend their operations indefinitely".
Speaking on the issue Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel advised the airlines to engage in dialogue.
"We do not support any move that will cause inconvenience to passengers. Air India will not participate in August 18 strike but will provide extra services," Patel said.
Reacting to the decision, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee promised to talk to Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel on the issue.
In an unprecedented protest action, eight major private airlines, which carry over one lakh passengers a day, on Friday decided not to operate domestic flights on August 18 demanding immediate bailout and threatened to suspend their services indefinitely if the government does not intervene urgently.
"The idea is to highlight the urgency for government to intervene urgently," the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) said on Friday after a meeting. However, state-run Air India, which is also a member of the FIA, has decided not to join the "boycott".
Flanked by Kingfisher chairman Vijay Mallya and Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal, FIA Secretary General Anil Baijal, told a press conference: "If adequate response is not received, member airlines will be compelled to suspend their services for an indefinite period."
Ironically, their protest decision came on a day when oil-marketing companies hiked aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices by Rs 620 per kilolitre effective from Friday midnight.
