Jet Airways CEO Calls Stake Sale Reports ‘Incorrect & Malicious’
The airline said it is implementing several measures to reduce cost as well as realise higher revenues.
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Amid rising concerns over its financial health and pilots on war path over proposed pay cuts, Jet Airways on Friday, 3 August, expressed confidence of overcoming the current issues as it said the mismatch between high fuel prices and low fares is the biggest short-term challenge.
On a day when its shares plunged 7 percent, Jet Airways sought to assure investors and employees saying the airline is working on having a competitive cost structure, days after the management reportedly told staff that it does not have enough funds to continue operations for more than two months.
Seeking to dispel the concerns, Jet Airways, on Friday, issued two statements ; one as a filing to the stock exchanges and one to the media, besides a message to the employees.
Reports about the airline suggesting it cannot fly beyond 60 days are "incorrect and malicious", officials said. They also denied any talks of a stake sale.
The sources said the full service carrier has also told the employees that the compulsory one-year notice period for captains would be done away with. The carrier, which has more than 16,000 employees, said it is implementing several measures to cut costs.
Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal, CEO Vinay Dube and Deputy CEO Amit Agarwal, among others, were present at the meeting, the sources said. At the meeting, the management also said that the airline might be left with revenues only to operate for not more than 60 days unless cost cutting measures are implemented, the sources added.
‘Tough Phase for Aviation Industry’
Jet Airways' filing came in response to a clarification sought by the BSE on reports that the airline might not to able to fly beyond 60 days amid financial woes.
In a message to the employees, Jet Airways CEO Vinay Dube expressed confidence that various transformation initiatives would help in addressing the current issues faced by the airline and the industry.
Prior to that, Dube, in a statement to the media said that the aviation industry is passing through a tough phase due to mismatch between high fuel prices and low fares.
As per the filing, the company has been in dialogue with its key stakeholders, including pilots and engineers, to apprise them of the challenges being faced by the Indian aviation sector in general and the airline in particular.
This is to "enlist their full support and cooperation for realising necessary savings across all functions of the business", it added.
Senior management executives are those holding general manager post and above level positions. Pilots as well as engineers have rejected the pay cut proposal, the sources said.
Will Overcome This Challenge: Vinay Dubey
In his message to the employees, Dube said that in the current environment, rupee has depreciated and airfares have not yet caught up with the run-up in fuel prices and described it as the biggest short term challenge.
Noting that several measures are being taken to have a "more competitive cost structure", Dube in his message said the airline is well on track to reduce the non-fuel unit costs by 12-15 percent.
The firm order for 225 B737-MAX planes is a testimony to the growth ambitions, Dube said in his message, adding that 11 such aircraft would be inducted into its fleet this fiscal.
"However, we are not counting on growth alone to shape our future - we will do much more than that," he said.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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