Mumbai: The pilots' body, National Aviators' Guild (NAG), that claims to represent at least 1,000 Jet Airways pilots, asked the consortium of Jet's lenders, led by the State Bank of India (SBI), to release the promised capital infusion of Rs 1,500 crore. The amount is part of the debt-restructuring plan approved by the ailing airline's board last month. The demand comes just a few weeks after Jet asked its pilots to go on a sabbatical.
"We would like to appeal SBI to release Rs 1,500 crore funds for the airline to help it continue operations. We also appeal Prime Minister Narendra Modi to save 20,000 odd jobs at the airline," NAG vice president Adim Valiani said at the airline's headquarter at Siroya Centre in Mumbai on Monday.
The airline's pilots have not been getting their salaries since December 2018. In March this year, the beleaguered airline defaulted on salaries to other employees as well. Jet is currently flying just six-seven planes as its entire fleet has been grounded because it failed to pay its lessors.
The press conference comes just days after the airline's pilots, engineers and cabin crew assembled at the Jet Airways headquarter and held a silent protest march to demand the clearance of their dues.
Meanwhile, according to a report published in The Economic Times, a Delaware-based company, Future Trend Capital, is said to be backing Jet founder Naresh Goyal's bid to invest in Jet Airways. A London-based firm, Adi Partners, is also associated with the consortium of Jetair and Future Trend. The bid from Future Trend-Jetair combine is said to have come in on Friday, eight minutes after the deadline to submit expressions of interest expired.