In a bid to ensure that it is able to launch services soon, Jet Airways has entered into a lease agreement with Dublin-based lessor Avolon to lease A320 aircraft. According to sources, the six-month old aircraft was leased to Russian carrier S7 Airlines. The aircraft was ferried back from Toulouse to Maastricht in the Netherlands for a fresh coat of paint.

Neither Avolon nor Jet Airways responded to queries. The aircraft tracking website, Planespotters.net, posted a photo of the narrow-body aircraft with the freshly painted livery.

The development comes at a time when there have been delays in restarting the operations of the airline. On Tuesday, businessline had reported that Jet Airways planned to restart operations by November this year.

The airline is yet to announce an official order for the aircraft; it is negotiating to place an order for at least 50 aircraft, sources said. However, initially it plans to restart operations with leased A320 Neos and B737 Max. In fact, Jet Airways had also invited applications from pilots who are current and type-rated on the Airbus A320 or Boeing 737NG or MAX aircraft.

The backstory

Jet Airways shut shop in April 2019 over unpaid dues, it was later dragged to the insolvency court by SBI. It was only in June 2021 that the NCLT approved the resolution plan for Jet Airways submitted by the Jalan Kalrock Consortium. At its peak, it had around 180 aircraft in its fleet, including Airbus A330-200s, ATR72-500s, Boeing 777s, and Boeing 737-400s 700s and 800s. Post its closure, most of the aircraft barring eight, were leased out to other airlines. .

An internal document reviewed by businessline suggests the airline plans “to have two-class configuration and intends to return to the skies as a ‘smart’ full-service carrier, with a two-class cabin configuration, including a business class cabin designed to global standards, and an evolved economy class that offers digital-age customers what they most value.”

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