Jet Airways has been granted the Air Operator Certificate (AOC), otherwise known as a flight permit. This allows the airline to resume operations after roughly three years.
The airline took to twitter and tweeted “AOC received? Check!,” with the hashtag, #TheJoyIsComingBack, and a photo of the staff.
The airline was given the AOC by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation otherwise known as the DGCA. “The airline has completed all requisite operations that require the grant of air operator certificate (AOC) by aviation regulator DGCA,” a senior DGCA official told news agency ANI on Friday.
On Tuesday, Jet Airways had conducted the second and final set of two proving flights with 31 people on board, which included two DGCA officials. On May 15, the company conducted the first set of three proving flights. The airline is intending to restart its’ commercial flight operations in the July-September quarter.
Jet Airways had last flown on April 17, 2019. At that time it was owned by Naresh Goyal. It was then forced to suspend operations due to financial distress.
Jalan-Kalrock Consortium is the current operator of the airline. In a statement, Jet Airways said with the receipt of the AOC, the Jalan-Kalrock Consortium had fulfilled all conditions under the resolution plan approved by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).
“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,” the statement read.
The revalidation of AOC enables Jet Airways, which had gone bankrupt and stopped flying nearly three years ago, to resume its scheduled commercial operations in India. The airline’s comeback is a rare occurrence in the global aviation industry.
The new management will be starting operations in the next quarter of this year (July-September 2022) and the airline has said that its aircraft and fleet plan, network, product and customer value proposition, loyalty program, and other details will be unveiled shortly in the upcoming weeks. Before it suspended operations in April 2019, the airline flew to over 65 destinations in India and across the world with 124 aircraft.
The company’s miraculous revival comes at a time when the aviation industry is recovering from the wreak and havoc caused by the covid pandemic and rising jet fuel prices.
Adding to these already existing problems is the problem of an increase in competition in the industry with the deep-pocketed Tata’s acquisition of Air India. The company is eyeing to raise its market share and billionaire investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala-backed Akasa Air is also expected to make its maiden flight in coming months. “There is a need for an airline that is simply not a clone of other airlines, but actually offers something that is different,” said CEO Sanjiv Kumar.
Therefore, the AOC allows Jet Airways to restart operations. This allows for another company to enter into the already saturated aviation industry. What lies in the future for the company and the industry? What is going to be the effects of the ongoing geo-political situation around the world? What is going to be the future of the industry making it sustainable someday? Only time shall tell.
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