NEW DELHI | KOLKATA: State Bank of India asked Jet AirwaysNSE 2.56 % chairman Naresh Goyal and three fellow directors to step down from the board of the airline as it edged closer to the brink with more planes likely to be grounded due to lease rental defaults, said people with knowledge of the matter. The lead lender, which insisted that keeping the struggling airline afloat was vital, also signalled it was unlikely to pick up the 24% stake belonging to Etihad in Jet.
The airline can turn around quickly if it gets an infusion of cash, said a senior government official. “The fundamentals of the airline are intact and it only needs funding to revive,” he said.