Representatives of the Kalrock-Jalan consortium along with the court-appointed Resolution Professional met the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) seeking re-allocation of Jet Airways’ erstwhile slots.

According to a source, the consortium wanted to persuade the authorities to at least assure them that they would be given the first priority for Jet’s historical slots.

Renewal of slots was one of the conditions set by the consortium during the time of bidding for Jet Airways.

“The meeting ended inconclusively. The authorities haven’t given a confirmation, but the new owners have been given an assurance that their request will be considered,” the source said.

Reapply

This comes even as the DGCA and MOCA in a joint affidavit to the Mumbai bench of the NCLT said last week that the winning consortium consisting of UAE-based entrepreneur Murari Lal Jalan and Kalrock Capital would have to reapply for the slots, and historical precedence or assurance could not be given.

A landing slot at an airport is an important asset for an airline as it gives the airline the possibility and the edge over its competitors. An airline has to pay a hefty amount to get those slots. Prior to its grounding, Jet Airways owned some of the most premium slots available in the metro cities including Delhi, and Mumbai.

The issue of Jet Airways’ historical slots has been one of the consistent issues for all the potential buyers since the beginning of the Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP). Back in 2019, the NCLT had asked DGCA and MOCA to clarify its stance on the same. In an affidavit, it had said that the slots were allotted temporarily and would be returned after a concrete plan was summitted.

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