On May 20, 2022, Jet Airways received its revalidated air operator permit from the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation). This allows the airline to resume flights under new investors, the Jalan-Kalrock consortium, and a new management team.
With new management, funding, and new ownership, the future seems to be bright as well as challenging for Jet Airways. The airline received its revalidated AOC after it conducted proving flights on 15th and 17th May. Jet Airways intends to restart commercial flights in the next quarter of this year (July-September 2022).
“We are grateful to have received the revalidated AOC, the culmination of months of efforts by a fantastic and dedicated team. The joy of flying was the tagline for Jet Airways. We are delighted to announce that joy is coming back.”
Sanjiv Kapoor, CEO of Jet Airways
Jet Airways stated that it will unveil its plans for its fleet, network, a loyalty program, and the overall product soon. In addition, it will also announce its senior management team next week and begin hiring staff with former Jet Airways 1.0 staff getting preference.
Commenting on this, Mauri Lal Jalan, the lead member of the Jalan-Karlock Consortium said,” Today marks new dawn not just for Jet Airways, but also for the Indian Aviation Industry. We are now on the brink of history by bringing India’s most loved airline back to the skies. We are committed to making this an extraordinary success story in Indian Aviation and Indian Business.”
Proving Flights
On May 15th, Jet Airways completed the first set of proving flights on the Delhi-Mumbai route. Three flights were conducted on the route. Although the second flight was supposed to return to Delhi, it was diverted to Ahmedabad after the DGCA officials on board asked the pilots to do so. The aircraft then flew back to Delhi from Ahmedabad the same evening.
Two days later, on May 17th, Jet Airways completed its last set of proving flights between Delhi and Hyderabad. The flight between Delhi and Hyderabad had 31 passengers onboard which included DGCA officials. Chief Executive Sanjiv Kapoor said that he had some main priorities which include AOC, people, aircraft, slots, and software and systems for the proper operations of the airline.
Brief History
Jet Airways was India’s leading airline before it suspended all operations in April 2019. The airline offered flights to major cities around the globe. In 2010, the airline became the largest in India with a market share of around 22%. It used to operate over 300 flights daily to 74 destinations worldwide from its hub at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and secondary hubs at Chennai International Airport, Indira Gandhi International Airport, Kempegowda International Airport, and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport.
But, in 2018, the airline reported record losses forcing the airline to lay off aircraft and employees. Later on April 17, 2019, the airline suspended all flight operations, due to lenders rejecting Rs 4 billion of emergency funding.
The airline lost hundreds of valuable slots and tens of aircraft after it ceased its operation. Currently, the airline has nine aircraft in its fleet, including three 737-800s and one 737-900. In the meantime, over 30 of its 737-800s were acquired by Spicejet, and 9 were acquired by Vistara after the grounding.
In addition, it has five 777-300ERs which are configured in a three-class configuration with eight first-class seats. However, the airline has announced that it will scrap first class in its 777s. The former fleet of the aircraft was diverse with multiple Airbus and ATR aircraft as well. The airline is reportedly in talks with manufacturers and all options are being explored.
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Featured Image: Aero Icarus via Wikimedia Commons