Jet Airways cancels all long-haul flights
All of Jet's long-distance services – including to London, Paris and Amsterdam – were suspended from Thursday night to Friday morning, a New Delhi airline spokesman told CNN.
On Friday, the spokesman added that the aircraft had resumed, but at least one main destination still seemed to be outside the router.
"Jet Airways has canceled its business between London and India on April 12, 2019," the airline's British office said in a statement.
Doubts over the airline's future intensified as Aviation Secretary Suresh Prabhu tweeted that his ministry would "undergo issues related to Jet Airways" and "take the necessary steps to minimize passenger disadvantages and ensure their safety."
Concerns about a possible breakdown will damage Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pro-business credentials as Native American votes in elections that started on Thursday. The lack of a major airline would put thousands of jobs at risk.
Jet Airways has already canceled thousands of domestic and international flights, as the aircraft were grounded over non-payment of airline leasing fees. It told Bombay the stock exchange on Thursday that it had due to 1[ads1]0 more aircraft due to unpaid fees.
India's largest public bank, India's state bank (SBI), has led the consortium of creditors, which started the betting process on Monday. Several airlines, including Etihad, are interested in bidding according to reports.
Etihad already owns 24% stake in Jet Airways. A spokesman for the UAE-based airline refused to comment on the bidding process.
India is the fastest growing aviation market in the world, but competition is fierce. Airlines are struggling to make money given the intense pressure on prices. Rising oil prices and a volatile Indian currency have made life even more difficult.
Jet Airways has racked up huge losses and exhausted the patience of the creditors. Market leader surplus IndiGo has also suffered and the government was forced to pour hundreds of millions of dollars into the national airline Air India, following a failed privatization attempt early last year.
CNN's Swati Gupta and Zahraa Alkhalisi contributed to this article.
