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Jet Airways 2.0, under its new promoters, is likely to operate proving flights by end of May, sources in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said. Operating proving flights or test flights is a critical step for Jet Airways to revalidate its air operator certificate (AOC) to start commercial flights. Jet Airways flights were grounded in April 2019.
On Friday, Jet Airways carried out a test flight, which incidentally is a part of the standard operating procedure before the airlines goes for a proving flight. In a tweet, Jet Airways said: “Today May 5, our 29th birthday, Jet Airways flew again...”
In a proving flight, the airline staff must behave in a fashion identical to when they carry out commercial operations to prove preparedness and safety standards. This involves check-in-counter staff, engineers, pilots, and cabin crew performing their duties.
According to the officials, the Jet Airways team is working with the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), and the DGCA to get all the necessary approvals.
May use a Boeing 737 aircraft
Jet Airways plans to use a Boeing 737 (VT – SXE) aircraft. The aircraft, which was previously operated by Jet Airways -under its old management- was subsequently leased out to SpiceJet. The DGCA officials say, there are no specific concerns about the aircraft and its safety.
The DGCA teams will be on board the aircraft during the proving flights, apart from Jet Airways officials, sources said.
When contacted, a spokesperson of the Jalan - Kalrock consortium, the new promoters of Jet Airways, said, the company was in “final stages for the AOC”. “We are in final stages for the AOC, and hope to be able to schedule the proving flights soon,” the spokesperson said.
On April 26, the official twitter handle of Jet Airways had shared a picture of the all-female cabin crew who will take part in the proving flight operations. Along with a picture of the crew, the tweet said, “the crew who will be part of creating history as they prepare to operate our proving flights soon. With the classic move that was pioneered by Jet Airways!”
In response to a query on Twitter, Sanjiv Kapoor, CEO, Jet Airways said, the male cabin crew will be hired as the airline gets “to a certain operational scale.” “Male cabin crew will be hired as well once we get to a certain operational scale, to optimise hotel costs etc. Same as was done at my previous airline,” he said on the micro-blogging site. Kapoor took over as the new CEO in April.
Subsequently, Jet Airways had issued a statement saying: “We have a limited number of NCR-based cabin crew, trained and qualified on the Boeing 737 aircraft, on our rolls to operate our proving flights that should take place soon. Several of them have worked with Jet Airways in the past.”
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