Originally Posted by
davidjohnson6
Those who have been following the news about Jet will be aware that international flying is currently suspended. Furthermore with news today that emergency funding will not be available from banks, the likelihood of their resuming flying from Heathrow in the near future seems unlikely
Jet were leasing 3 daily slot pairs from an airline in the UAE who shall remain nameless. While it is possible the new rotations could begin soon, the fact that the UAE based airline has recently been shrinking rather than growing suggest new flights are maybe unlikely - at most 1 additional flight per day. That leaves at least 2 slot pairs per day which need to be either used or lost - leasing them out (or a sale) seems the most likely option.
Jet had departures from LHR to India at 0930, 2010 and 2120 in UK summer time. The flights to the UAE are at 0935, 1500 and 2045. With a forced seller, the buyer can afford to bid a little lower than they might do otherwise. Clearly the 2 evening slots will appeal to Asian carriers, while the morning slot may interest North American operators. Who apart from BA can find a way to use these slots at short notice, is cash rich, and would be prepared to pay what the seller would likely want as a price ?
It would appear that the slot holder will add two extra flights to Abu Dhabi effective end of June, whilst the third slot pair has been 'given' to Air Serbia and a 320 from the parent airline will be wet-leased to Air Serbia to facilitate this additional flight.
At the weekend, we will see two Air Serbia flights operate to Heathrow, just 10 mins apart!