Ministry of Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola said on Wednesday that beleaguered private carrier Jet Airways is currently operating less than 15 aircraft. “The airline’s eligibility to fly internationally needs to be examined,” he said according to ANI.
On March 26, Kharola said the debt-ridden airline had promised not to ground any more aircraft. “Today, 35 planes are flying,” Kharola said that day, adding that the airline would submit a concrete plan in a week. “Once the plan is submitted, Directorate General of Civil Aviation will start working on approvals to ensure that the airline flies.”
The ministry secretary had added that Jet Airways has proposed to fly 40 more planes by April-end. He called this an “aggressive target”.
Jet Airways on March 25 said its founder Naresh Goyal and his wife Anita Goyal had resigned from the board of directors. The airline said an interim committee will be set up to manage the operations of the airline. The carrier, which has 119 aircraft, has reduced its operations due to a liquidity crunch.
State Bank of India Chairman Rajnish Kumar had earlier said the lenders of Jet Airways will make every effort to keep the airline flying. SBI is the private airline’s biggest lender, and is leading the efforts to evolve a comprehensive plan to revive the airline.
Kharola on Wednesday also commented on Air India boarding passes with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photograph, which had led to a notice by the Election Commission to the national carrier about violation of the Model Code of Conduct. “The boarding pass has been withdrawn,” Kharola said. “Action will be taken against the person responsible.”
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