Jet Airways (Mumbai International) is close to selecting Airbus as its new fleet supplier with A220 and the A320neo Family aircraft in play, sources told the Bloomberg newswire.
The carrier, which recently recertified and is nearing a restart after more than three years of grounding, said it was in "final negotiations" with manufacturers and lessors but did not identify any frontrunners. Boeing and Embraer remain in contention.
Prior to its grounding in April 2019, Jet Airways was mainly a Boeing customer. The ch-aviation fleets history module shows the airline's fleet comprised at various times B737-400s, B737-500s, B737-700s, B737-800s, B737-900s, B737-900ERs, B737-8s, and B777-300(ER)s. It also operated ATR - Avions de Transport Régional turboprops, A330-200s, A330-300s, and A340-300s. Having returned or parked all of its aircraft due to financial troubles, Jet Airways used a single B737-800, VT-SXE (msn 34802), for its recertification process. According to the ch-aviation fleets ownership module, it continues to own one A330-200, two B737-800s, one B737-900, and five B777-300(ER)s but has no stated plans to use any of them for its return.
Jet Airways retains an order for 125 B737-8s and ten B787-9s, placed before its April 2019 grounding. The B737 MAX were ordered in three batches in 2013, 2014, and 2018, and the B787s in 2006.
The report follows earlier and also unofficial leaks that rival Air India (AI, Delhi International) is also close to selecting Airbus for its future fleet needs.
Meanwhile, Jet Airways filed an official complaint to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to address the fact that SpiceJet (SG, Delhi International) continues to operate ex-Jet Airways aircraft with no livery change.
"It has come to our notice that many of the airplanes continue to fly in full Jet Airways' colours on the fuselage and tail with our name blanked off and overwritten by decals…Some of these aircraft have been involved in accidents/incidents, photographs of which have been widely circulated in the media... It is evident that an operator flying its aircraft in another airline's livery has a serious potential to mislead the public about the identity of the operator," Jet Airways' accountable manager Priyapal Singh wrote.
SpiceJet took over the leases of a substantial number of ex-Jet Airways after the latter's grounding in April 2019. It continues to operate ten aircraft formerly flown by its rival (two B737-700s and eight -800s), the ch-aviation fleets module highlights. The aircraft remain in Jet Airways' livery with the name stripped and SpiceJet's logo placed on the fuselage instead.
SpiceJet said that it had yet to receive any communications from the DGCA, but stressed that the ten aircraft were up for imminent retirement and replacement with B737-8s.
