The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arranged the release of ₹311.67 crore to pay long-pending dues to former workers of Kingfisher Airlines Limited (KAL). This update came on Thursday, December 18, 2025. The payment follows an order dated December 12, 2025, from the Recovery Officer, Debts Recovery Tribunal-I, Chennai. The order directed the release of funds from the sale of shares previously attached and restituted to the State Bank of India (SBI) by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The released amount will be transferred to the Official Liquidator to be distributed among former Kingfisher Airlines employees. The ED began its probe after the Central Bureau of Investigation filed reports against Kingfisher Airlines, Vijay Mallya, and related parties for alleged bank fraud and criminal conspiracy. The investigation showed loans taken by Kingfisher Airlines were partly used to pay other debts, settle bills with Bank of Baroda, and transfer large sums abroad under false claims. During the investigation, ED attached properties and assets worth over ₹5,042 crore linked to Mallya, Kingfisher Airlines, and associates. Another ₹1,694.52 crore was attached under earlier legal provisions. Prosecution complaints were filed based on these findings. Vijay Mallya was declared a wanted man under the Fugitive Economic Offences Act in January 2019. Following applications by the SBI-led bank consortium, all attached properties were restituted to the banks through legal channels. The ED restored assets worth ₹14,132 crore to SBI, forming the pool from which the current payment was made. To ensure workmen’s dues were prioritized, the ED coordinated with SBI and stakeholders. SBI filed an application agreeing that workmen’s dues would be paid before other creditors. This cooperation led the Debts Recovery Tribunal to order disbursement of ₹311.67 crore to former Kingfisher Airlines workers. This move marks progress in settling long-delayed wages amid a high-profile fraud case.