Jet Airways CEO Sanjiv Kapoor said the carrier intends to resume operations by October 2022, a few months after clearing the revalidation procedure for its Air Operator Permit (AOP).
According to Kapoor, AOP permission will be granted by the end of April. “We're approaching the end of a very difficult, lengthy, and strict process. We want to double-check that everything is in order. After receiving the Air Operator Permit (AOP), we anticipate to be able to resume operations in a few months. Our goal is to fly by October, perhaps sooner, but it will take a few months for us to be ready to fly again," he added.
He went on to say, "We have a team of 200 people working just on putting Jet back in the air."
For the purpose of demonstrating flight, Kapoor said that the Jet 2.0 will employ a Boeing 737 Next Generation (737NG), a narrow-body type aircraft powered by two jet engines. Following that, once the airline resumes full-fledged operations, all alternatives are on the table, according to the CEO.
“For the purpose of ‘proving flight AOC’, we will be using 737 NG, it is the most logical thing to do as we used to fly it before, we have the pilots, the training facilities,” he added.
As early as this month, Jet Airways will begin conducting proving flights for safety testing with no passengers on board. The permission will allow the airline's new owners, Dubai-based billionaire Murali Lal Jalan and Florian Fritsch, chairman of London-based asset firm Kalrock Capita, to increase their investment and negotiate landing and parking slots with airports.
