Jet Airways deploys wide body planes on local routes

Over the last few days, Jet's domestic flights are being delayed as the airline is facing a shortage of pilots

Jet Airways has said it is deploying wide-bodied aircraft on domestic routes. This follows a shortage of pilots for its Boeing 737 fleet, which has resulted in flight delays through the past few days. “It is also working on a stepped-up training and transfer schedule of pilots from JetLite to Jet Airways, in line with DGCA (Directorate of Civil Aviation) guidelines,” the airline said.

Jet, however, didn’t specify which wide-bodied aircraft (Boeing 777 or Airbus A330) were being used. The reason the airline is seeing a shortage of crew is 25-30 Boeing 737 pilots have been deputed to Etihad Airways are undergoing training on for Boeing 777 aircraft. This has grounded a few Boeing 737 of JetLite, Jet’s subsidiary. “The pilots will be on deputation to Etihad for a year. We are facing a shortage of pilots. Often, pilots are being requested at a short notice and, at the end of flights, they are asked whether they can manage additional flights. In the duty roster, there is no mention of the crew for a large number of flights…the space is blank,” said a source.

While Jet Airways confirmed flight delays, it didn’t comment on the deputation of pilots to Etihad. “The disruption was due to the compounding effect of several issues, including the unforeseen maintenance requirements on JetLite aircraft, training and certification requirements at Jet Airways and the pending transfer of JetLite pilots to Jet Airways to meet the needs of the expanded schedule,” the airline said.

"Jet Airways is deploying international wide body aircraft on the domestic sector to re-accommodate its guests and is also working on a stepped-up training and transfer schedule of pilots from JetLite to Jet Airways in line with DGCA guidelines,'' it added.