Wow. What a (Fri)Day. In April 2019, Jet Airways suspended operations, and since then, it went through a court-navigated bankruptcy process where the creditors of the airline announced that the airline will be sold to the Jalan-Kalrock consortium. After the process, however, we witnessed a deadlock with respect to the restart of the airline for a while. However, things picked up pace this year with senior appointments at the airline and the logjam started to break up.

Jet Airways, a few days ago, received delivery of their first aircraft, which is a 15-year old Boeing 737 aircraft which was originally operated by Jet Airways, and then operated by SpiceJet in the interim. Now, it is back to Jet Airways and it was used for the proving flights.

VT-SXE, the aircraft to be used for proving flights of @jetairways just came online again after about 4.5 months, most probably will be flown to Delhi. Today is the anniversary of Jet Airways. First flight today in 1994!

Follow flight VTSXE at RadarBox https://t.co/gnlg150c4h pic.twitter.com/s4mXa1dCIl

— Ajay Awtaney (@LiveFromALounge) May 5, 2022

The Indian regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), required Jet Airways to conduct proving flights to receive its revalidated Air Operators Certificate (AOC) since it said the period of lapse of the prior AOC was longer than the one in which they could just hand it back to them.

Jet Airways conducted the proving flights on May 15 and May 17, with 31 people on board, including the DGCA officials, who ran through an elaborate checklist to see the readiness of the Jet Airways cockpit crew as well as the cabin crew for various situations such as emergencies, diversions and so on.

The airline has been putting out updates, and looks upbeat about a return. The DGCA has today, on May 20, 2022, granted Jet Airways its revalidated AOC, which clears the path for the airline to begin its operations again. Technically, it could start flying tomorrow, but that won’t be the case.

With the receipt of AOC, the Jalan Kalrock Consortium has fulfilled all the conditions precedent under their NCLT approved Resolution Plan. The revalidation of AOC enables Jet Airways to resume its scheduled commercial operations in India. This significant milestone also paves way for the comeback of the iconic airline in a new avatar with fresh funding, changed ownership, and new management.

The grant of the AOC was the final step in a comprehensive regulatory and compliance process involving several procedural checks for the airline’s operational readiness. The grant of the AOC revalidates the confidence of the DGCA in the operational preparedness of Jet Airways.

Murari Lal Jalan, the Lead Member of Jalan-Kalrock Consortium, said:

Today marks a new dawn for not just Jet Airways, but also for the Indian aviation industry. We are now at the brink of creating history by bringing India’s most-loved airline back to the skies. We will not only live up to the great expectations from brand Jet Airways, but also exceed them in many ways for today’s discerning flyers. We are committed to making this an extraordinary success story in Indian aviation and in Indian business. We are grateful to the NCLT, the Ministry of Civil Aviation, and to the DGCA for supporting us at every step of our efforts to revive the airline.

Sanjiv Kapoor, Chief Executive Officer, added:

The “Joy of Flying” was a tagline for Jet Airways in an earlier era. We are delighted to announce that The Joy is coming back!

We are grateful to have received the revalidated AOC, the culmination of months of effort by a fantastic and dedicated team that never wavered in its faith and belief that Jet Airways would fly again, backed by the Jalan-Kalrock Consortium, by the Resolution Professional, and by committee of creditors who were equally determined to see Jet fly again.

There is a need for an airline that is simply not a clone of other airlines, but actually offers something that is meaningfully different while offering new ways to attract, delight, and win customers. An airline that understands that doing the right thing by customers, staff, partners, and all stakeholders is the only way to do business. All of us on the re-start team are deeply committed and passionate about building the new Jet Airways into a modern, differentiated, people-focused airline for the digital age. We will combine the best of what Jet Airways was known for 25 years, with exciting new ideas to set the bar even higher.

Jet Airways intends to recommence commercial operations in the next quarter of this year (July-September 2022). Aircraft and fleet plan, network, product and customer value proposition, loyalty program, and other details will be unveiled in a phased manner over the coming weeks. Additional senior management appointments will be unveiled next week, and hiring for operational roles will also now commence in earnest, with former Jet Airways staff getting preference wherever possible.

Bottomline

Jet Airways has received the crucial Air Operators Certificate from the Indian aviation regulator, which sets it up for operations as a scheduled airline again. The airline intends to take flight in Q32022 and will be making a series of reveals in the coming times.

Are you excited or are you excited about the return of Jet Airways?

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