Jet Airways are in talks with aircraft makers and lessors to lease around 6-8 planes – some of which were to be delivered to Russian carriers before the invasion of Ukraine. According to Business Standard, the airline is also bartering with airport operations in order to obtain slots with “good timings”.
Further Information
Previously considered a force to be reckoned with in the Indian aviation space, the airline has not been operational since 2019 – it is now being relaunched under the new ownership of the Jalan-Kalrock Consortium.
Additionally, the Indian airline received its revalidated air operator certificate from the safety regulator DGCA. Bloomberg UK adds that this demonstrates that Jet Airways is ready to fly once again with new funding, a new owner and new management.
“Aircraft availability is always an issue but now due to the Russia-Ukraine war, aircraft which were to be delivered to Russia are also available in the market along with those leased planes which were flying in Russia,” PTI said, quoting a source.
Boeing or Airbus?
In an article written by the Economic Times India, the airliner is negotiating with Boeing, Airbus and the lessors and is looking to lease 6-8 aircraft by December 2022. The report about such discourse has been confirmed by the airliner, alas, they did not get into specifics.
“We have no comment to give other than we will share our fleet plans when they are finalized and we are ready to share. We are in advanced discussions with multiple lessors and all three OEMs,” – Jet Airways CEO, Sanjiv Kapoor.
Moreover, when discussing plans to acquire a large number of aircraft, initial pacts will have to be signed with the chosen aircraft maker. This is due to the fierce competition shown by Boeing and Airbus. It is worth noting that there is an opportunity for Jet Airways to really expand in the near future.
Overall, while final decisions are yet to be made, it is clear that once the dotted line is signed, the ball will roll quickly, providing far better opportunities for the Indian airline.
Future Strategies and Next Steps
According to Business Standard, Jet Airways is looking to dispose of all aircraft in its current fleet. Following their relaunch deliberations, both Airbus and Boeing are in high contention at this time. The hope is to get back in the skies as early as September after the deal is signed.
Following this decision, Jet Airways will be focusing primarily on domestic routes but is considering expanding to the likes of Mumbai, Goa, and Bengaluru, to name a few. On the other hand, these plans are yet to be completed and therefore, the airline is still looking for appropriate airport slots.
Speaking with PTI, a source commented on this stating that Jet Airways do have airport slots, but they needed to do a little more work and “fine-tune” times that were most appropriate for them. Nevertheless, it seems as though the airline is making numerous steps in the right direction.
