Aircraft belonging to financially troubled Indian airline held at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport after failure to settle outstanding airport handling charges.
Global airline cargo handling and ground handling group Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) has seized a Boeing 777 aircraft operated by financially troubled Indian airline Jet Airways at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport because of unpaid fees.
Commenting on the action yesterday, WFS told Lloyd’s Loading List:“A Jet Airways passenger aircraft was seized at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport today following a court order issued by Haarlem Court in favour of Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) in relation to the outstanding payment of handling fees.
“We regret having to take this course of action and apologise for any inconvenience to the airline’s customers. We hope Jet Airways will be able to resolve this matter as quickly as possible.”
Jet Airways confirmed to Lloyd’s Loading Listthat yesterday’sflight 9W 231 from Amsterdam(AMS) to Mumbai (BOM) had been “cancelled due to operational reasons”.
Once seen as the bright light in India’s airline sector, Jet Airways is now said to havemore than $1.2bn in debt and owing money to banks, pilots and suppliers.In early January, Jet Airways and its main lender, State Bank of India, met aircraft lessors to assure them there was a plan to rescue the debt-laden carrier so it could pay them, but some aircraft lessors decided of pull their aircraft from Jet’s fleet, Aljazeera.com reported.
The 26-year-old airline has posted losses in eight of the past 10 years and its share of the domestic passenger market has fallen to about 15.5% in 2018 from 22.5% in 2015. And on Monday, Jet’s lenders laid out terms for potential bidders to buy up to 75% stake in the carrier, with final bids due on 30 April.
But lessors remain concerned, and some, such as Avolon, SMBC Aviation Capital, Aircastle and a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corp, have asked India’s aviation regulator to de-register a combined 18 planes, according to the regulator’s website, Aljazeera.com reported. “Lessors don’t seem to think the carrier can be rescued, judging by the urgency in repossessing aircraft,” said Shukor Yusof, the head of the aviation consultancy Endau Analytics.
Source: Lloyd’s
