MUMBAI- While Jet Airways endeavors to stage a comeback, some of its aircraft sit idle, covered in dust, as they await their uncertain fate. Each day they languish on the ground, their value steadily diminishes.
The ongoing disagreement between the airline’s lenders and the successful bidders complicates their sale. Nonetheless, a national tribunal court in India has mandated the commencement of the sales process for five of its Boeing 777 aircraft to the winning bidder.
Jet Airways 777 Allowed to Sold
The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has directed Jet Airways’ monitoring committee to initiate the sale of the airline’s Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
Challenge Airlines’ subsidiary, Ace Aviation VIII Limited, emerged as the winning bidder in a previous attempt to purchase these aircraft. However, the sale was halted due to financial disputes involving Jet’s winning bidder, the Jalan-Kalrock consortium (JKC), and its creditors.
In July, Ace Aviation sought NCLT’s intervention, prompting the tribunal to assign responsibility to the lenders and the monitoring committee to resolve the deadlock. While the lenders were in favor of selling the aircraft, the JKC, and former employees preferred to wait.
Ace Aviation VIII Limited initially paid a $4.6 million deposit to secure the Boeing 777 aircraft and an additional $1 million to participate in the auction for more 777s.
However, in November of the previous year, they received a notification from Jet Airways indicating a delay in the sale process, with an expected resumption within 60 to 90 days. Unfortunately, this resumption never occurred.
CEO Insights
In a recent statement to MoneyControl, Eshel Heffetz, the CEO of Challenge Airlines, expressed concerns about the prolonged sale delay. He highlighted that they are running out of time and may need to explore other options.
He explained that they initially believed the matter would be swiftly resolved, given the understanding that the aircraft’s value deteriorates over time. However, this has not been the case.
He emphasized that as time passes, the aircraft’s condition worsens, resulting in increased costs for reactivation, potentially making the deal financially unviable.
During its operational peak, Jet Airways utilized a fleet of Boeing 777-300ER aircraft for long-haul flights to destinations in Europe and North America. Additionally, the airline had Airbus A330 planes in its fleet, complemented by Boeing 737s and ATR aircraft for domestic routes.
However, with the airline’s grounding, a significant portion of these aircraft were either retired from its fleet or faced an uncertain future. Some of the Boeing 777s even ended up being scrapped.
It is now hoped that the remaining aircraft can find more productive and valuable roles following their eventual sale.
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