Jet Airways cancels all international flight operations till Monday

Jet Airways on Friday announced that it has cancelled all its international flight operations from April 12 (Friday) till April 15 (Monday).

The crisis-hit private airline said that it is working to minimise the inconvenience caused to the guests.

In a statement, Jet said, "Jet Airways has cancelled its international operations from 12th – 15th April 2019. The airline is working to minimise guest inconvenience using its 24x7 Contact Centre, Guest Relations and the Social Media response teams, to handle schedule adjustments, in line with defined regulatory guidelines, including offering re-accommodation choices or extending applicable refunds as the situation warrants. In parallel, the airline’s management and its key stakeholders including its consortium of lenders, continue to work closely towards resolving the current situation. The airline regrets the inconvenience caused to its guests."

This comes a day after the airline had suspended all its international flights scheduled for Thursday after its 10 more aircraft were grounded due to non-payment of outstanding dues to lessors. "Further to our letter dated April 2, 2019, we now write to inform you that an additional ten aircraft were grounded due to non-payments of amounts outstanding to lessors under their respective lease agreements," the airlines had said in a statement on Thursday.

"The Company is making all efforts to minimise disruption to its network due to the above and is proactively informing and re-accommodating its affected guests," the statement released by the company had said.

This comes after the Union Government said that Jet Airways` eligibility to fly on international routes needs to be examined.

Speaking on the recent Jet Airways crisis, Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola had said, "It (Jet Airways) is currently operating less than 15 planes and its eligibility to fly on international routes needs to be examined."

The airlines permitted to fly on international routes must have 20 aircraft in service.

Debt-laden Jet Airways is currently operating only 14 aircraft in its fleet and may soon lose the right to fly on international routes, official sources had said earlier in the day.

Meanwhile, Jet Airways in a statement informed that its flight 9W 615 Mumbai to Kolkata and 9W 675 Kolkata to Guwahati of tomorrow April 12, 2019, has been cancelled due to operational reasons.

On April 3, Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola had said that Jet was operating less than 15 planes and its eligibility to fly on international routes needs to be examined.

Meanwhile, Changi airport said Jet Airways has suspended its services to and from Singapore until further notice. Passengers are advised to contact their booking agent or the airline directly for available options, it said.

The developments came a day after the SBI Capital Markets extended the deadline for investors to bid for a controlling stake in beleaguered Jet Airways by two days till Friday.

The government-owned investment bank said the revised last date for sending queries is 3 pm on Thursday and expressions of interest (EoIs) will be accepted till 6 pm on Friday (April 12).

"Qualified bidders will be expected to submit their respective binding bid(s) latest by April 30 subject to the terms set out under the bid document," said SBI Capital Markets in a statement.

Wednesday was a tough day for the airline as Indian Oil stopped jet fuel supplies for breaching the credit limit agreed upon. Though fuel supplies resumed after some hours, it was the second time that Indian Oil had taken such a decision.

A Jet Airways flight from Amsterdam to Mumbai was stopped from taking off at the Schiphol Airport by a European cargo company due to outstanding bills.

Burdened with high operating costs and a huge debt, Jet Airways has been struggling to fly with 26 planes, according to reports. 

Since January, it has not been able to pay salaries to pilots and maintenance engineers. Many lessors have taken possession of planes after the airline failed to pay rents.Lenders, led by State Bank of India, took control of Jet Airways in March after its founder and chairman Naresh Goyal gave up control to resolve the crisis.