Jet Airways (JAI, Mumbai International) has edged closer to its long-awaited restart, having added a B737-800 for proving flights expected in mid-May 2022. Live Mint reported that the airline expects to relaunch commercial operations between July and September 2022.
VT-SXE (msn 34802) is currently at Hyderabad International in Jet Airways' livery, but has yet to begin proving flights. The 15.3-year-old Boeing narrowbody was operated by Jet Airways between 2007 and its collapse in 2019 as VT-JGU, the ch-aviation fleets history module indicates. It was subsequently transferred to SpiceJet (SG, Delhi International), which operated it through December 16, 2021, Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows. Since then, the aircraft has been parked.
Sources said that while the dates had not yet been finalised, the proving flights with Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) officials on board are tentatively expected in the first half of May.
Jet Airways, under new ownership by the Murari Lal Jalan and Kalrock Capital consortium and with new management (led by CEO Sanjiv Kapoor), is planning to relaunch in as a hybrid business model combining premium seats and no-frills economy class. Kapoor said earlier that the airline, which has been grounded since April 2019, will relaunch by October 2022 at the latest. Even though it would be using the B737-800 for proving flights, it has yet to announce its fleet plans publicly. Kapoor said Airbus, Boeing, and Embraer aircraft were all under evaluation.
