Cash-strapped Jet Airways on Saturday suspended services on 13 more international routes till April end after grounding seven more planes due to non-payment of outstanding dues to lessors.
However, the airline remained confident of successfully resolving the current situation in coming days.
The routes where services have been temporarily withdrawn include Bengaluru-Singapore, Delhi-Abu Dhabi, Delhi-Dammam, Delhi-Dhaka, Delhi-Hong, Kong, Delhi-Riyadh, Kolkata-Dhaka, Mumbai-Abu Dhabi, Mumbai-Bahrain, Mumbai-Dammam, Mumbai-Hong Kong, Pune-Abu Dhabi and Pune-Singapore.
Jet has also reduced services on Delhi-Bangkok route from three to one daily, Delhi-Kathmandu (four to two daily), Delhi-Singapore (three to one daily), Mumbai-Bangkok (three to one daily), Mumbai-Doha (two to one daily), Mumbai-Kuwait City (two to one daily) and Mumbai-Singapore (three to one daily).
“The airline and its key stakeholders are working towards the finalisation and subsequent implementation of the bank-led Provisional Resolution Plan (BLPRP) to ensure that the airline emerges financially strong and resilient,” said a spokesperson.
The airline is saddled with a bank debt of nearly Rs 9,000 crore in addition to vendors’ dues totalling Rs 15,000 crore, according to reports. It has delayed salaries to pilots who have threatened to go on strike from April 1 unless their pending dues are not paid.
Jet’s troubles mounted amid bruising competition from low-cost rivals, fluctuating crude oil prices and a weak rupee. Government-owned banks are putting together a rescue plan to ensure that the Naresh Goyal-led private airline does not go out of business before the general Sabha elections.
“As a priority, the airline has been focusing to minimise guest inconvenience by ensuring that guests, as well as the regulator (DGCA) are informed of these interim changes well in advance, given the temporary, yet network-wide (domestic and international) impact of these changes,” said the spokesperson.
