Jet Set To Induct Two Gecas Craft This Month

Jet Airways will induct two B-737-800s this month that are on lease from the US company, Gecas Aviation. This is the first time these aircraft will be flown in India.

It will also lease three B-737-700s from the US-based Tombo Aviation to replace three B-737-300s by January 1999 and return craft leased from Ansett Aviation. Two planes on wet lease from Malaysian Airlines are also expected to be returned by the end of this month, sources said.

The B-737-800s are to be deployed on the Delhi-Bombay and Delhi-Calcutta routes. These craft have 126 seats including 28 in the business class.

Jet has also purchased six B-800s from Boeing. The leased planes will be sent back as soon as Jet's own aircraft come in. The company has permission to expand its fleet from the existing 19 planes to 25.

Jet has also asked for permission to import ATR turbo prop aircraft for shorter routes like Hyderabad-Vijaywada and Vishakhapatnam and Hyderabad-Tirupati and Chennai.

Sources, however, said traffic had not grown as per projections this year. While there was a 5 per cent decline in growth in 1997-98 over the previous year, this year traffic had declined by 2.5 per cent.

Jet Airways at present has 13 aircraft on lease and six on hire purchase. While two are on hire purchase through ANZ Grindlays Export Finance Ltd, UK, four craft are from Washington Aircraft Hire Co., Cayman Islands. The lessors of the company have been asked to submit appropriate declarations to the ministry to prove that no airlines have a stake in them.