Jet Airways could be closer to resuming flights as the Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGCA) is expected to schedule its test flights next week, after which the airline will receive an Aircraft Operator Certificate (AOC).
“The test flights are expected to begin soon. The airline must operate 10 such flights. We expect this to take 30 days, after which the airline will receive its aircraft operator certificate, subject to security clearance,” a senior DGCA official said on condition of anonymity.
After the aircraft operator’s certificate has been granted, the National Company Law Tribunal will proceed to transfer ownership of assets such as Jet Airway’s 11 aircraft to the Jalan-Kalrock consortium, which was the successful applicant in the bankruptcy proceedings. This will pave the way for the airline to order planes and start discussions with airports about slots. The airline aims to resume operations by the third quarter of calendar year 2022.
May 5 was also a major milestone for the airline, which operated a Boeing 737 with its IATA code 9W after a three-year hiatus since it suspended operations due to a liquidity crisis. Thursday’s flight was a test flight over Hyderabad conducted after the plane underwent maintenance, including an engine swap. After that, the plane probably flew to Delhi next week for test flights for the regulator.
“We are in the final stages of the AOC and hope to schedule test flights soon,” the spokesman for the Jalan Kalrock Consortium said in a statement.
