After remaining shut for about ten years due to mounting financial crunch and the COVID-19 pandemic, Jet Airways aims to resume flights in the first quarter of 2022, reports reveal.
In a bid to resume functioning, the airlines company has so far, hired engineering and maintenance departments staffs in bulk and the airline has also hired senior officials and mid-management executives, sources said. Overall, the airline plans to hire at least 1,000 employees in the first phase of its revival, sources added.
However, the hunt for CEO is still on and the airlines has shortlisted candidates from across India and overseas, sources added.
The airline’s resolution plan, proposed by Jalan-Kalrock Consortium, received nod from the National Company Law Tribunal on June 22 and the airline was asked to engage with the government authorities for the slots at domestic airports.
The announcement regarding its CEO Is likely to be made by the next month.
On the procedural front, Jet airways has applied to DGCA for re-certification of its air operator permit and discussions with airports for slots are ongoing, people aware of the matter said, adding that the airline aims to have a pan-India route network but initially with less frequency and regional hubs at Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
While the airline owns wide-body aircraft, it plans to sell those old wide-body aircraft and get new ones on lease. In the first phase of revival, the airline’s fleet is expected to have narrow-body aircraft and the airline aims to build this to 20 aircraft fleet within 4-6 months of resumption. For narrow-body, the airline is actively considering the newly recertified Boeing MAX along with Airbus neo, sources added.
Recently, Jet Airways employees associations had approached the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal with their concerns about pending salaries and retirement benefits under the resolution plan. The counsel of the Kalrock-Jalan consortium was given two weeks’ time to respond to claims by Jet Airways employee associations.
Leave a Comment