Centre grants security clearance to new Jet Airways promoters | Latest News India

New Delhi: The Union home ministry has granted security clearance to new Jet Airways promoters and paved the way for the relaunch of the airline’s operations, which were closed in 2019 due to financial constraints, people familiar with the matter said.

The airline conducted test flights to and from Hyderabad on Thursday after Jalan-Kalrock Consortium took over Jet Airways. The airline operated its last flight on April 17, 2019, when Naresh Goyal owned it.

In a communication to the airline on May 6, the civil aviation ministry said, “It is directed to refer to your application to convey security clearance for change in shareholding pattern of the company/firm, for scheduled operator permit, on the basis of security clearance received from the Ministry of Home Affairs.” It added the security clearance can be withdrawn in case of any adverse inputs from the home ministry.

The Directorate-General of Civil Aviation will grant the air operator certificate to Jet Airways depending on the test flight results following the security clearance.

Jet Airways halted operations after two decades as it failed to get funds to run operations and left 20,000 workers jobless. It also had a strategic partnership with Etihad Airways. The airline initially started cancelling flights, cutting routes, grounding planes, and handing pink slips to employees due to the cash crunch. In June 2019, insolvency proceedings were initiated for the airline.

In October 2020, the airline’s Committee of Creditors approved the resolution plan of the consortium of the UK’s Kalrock Capital and the UAE-based entrepreneur Murari Lal Jalan. The National Company Law Tribunal approved the resolution plan in June 2021.