Things have gone from bad-to-worse for Vijay Mallya, owner of the beleaguered Kingfisher Airlines, with a court in India issuing a warrant for his arrest.

Mallya has been battling to keep his sprawling business empire afloat in recent months as debts continue to mount.

However, he appears to have suffered a setback, with a court in Hyderabad issuing an arrest warrant on charges his airline bounced four checks worth over $1.9 million.

The airline is presently struggling to resume flights, which have been grounded since the start of the month.

The cash-strapped airline has stopped selling tickets on its website and is not expected to resume for at least a further week.

The airline had promised to resume flights on Friday.