MUMBAI: Increasing flight cancellations at
Jet Airways have prompted the Air Passengers Association of
India (APAI) to demand that the airline be barred from any advance bookings.
Cash-strapped Jet will be operating merely 45 planes from Tuesday, already having grounded close to 64% of its 124-strong fleet as of December, as per people in the know.
Jet has cancelled flights to its partner Etihad’s hub in
Abu Dhabi, as well as to Dubai, Dammam, Kochi and Nagpur, said people close to the development. Industry watchers and experts said the Director General of Civil Aviation (
DGCA) should stop advance bookings.
D Sudhakara Reddy, president, APAI, tweeted, “Jet shouldn’t be allowed to do advance booking with fancy offers when situation is going from bad to worse.”
However, a travel portal executive said, “While DGCA has to... protect passengers and their money, barring Jet from making advance bookings would hasten its demise.”