Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu on Tuesday directed his ministry's secretary to hold an emergency meeting on the debt-ridden Jet Airways massively cancelling flights after grounding of a large part of its fleet. Suresh Prabhu tweeted this morning that he had asked for a compliance report from Jet and the aviation watchdog.
India's aviation regulator said on Tuesday that Jet Airways is currently operating only 41 aircraft, just a third of its original fleet, as the debt-laden carrier struggles to finalize a rescue deal with lenders and its major shareholder Etihad Airways.
Saddled with debt of more than $1 billion, Jet has delayed payments to banks, suppliers, pilots and lessors — some of whom have ended lease deals with the airline before taking the planes out of the country.
The DGCA also said that pilots, cabin crew and ground staff who have reported any kind of stress should not be put on duty, and the airline should carry out regular maintenance of its aircraft even if they are currently grounded.
