Jet Airways: Govt says providing jobs to ex-employees not in its domain

The government on Wednesday said that providing jobs to former employees of now-defunct Jet Airways is not in its domain.

A portal opened for the former employees is helping them in looking for new jobs, Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri told the Rajya Sabha.

"So far as the portal is concerned, it is functioning and the portal is providing opportunities both to the employees and different airlines stakeholders to be in touch with each other," he said.

"Many of the employees are utilising that portal. Others have found jobs elsewhere but again I would reiterate to the members that it is not the government's job to be in a position to take decisions which are in the domain of the management," he added.

According to Puri, it is the job of the management of airlines to keep it afloat.

"The issue is before NCLAT. I cannot pre-judge, what NCLAT would do," he added.

Puri was replying to a supplementary question asked by Sanjay Singh of the AAP.

"The minister had assured us in the house that no employee of Jet Airways would lose the job and would be adjusted in other companies," said Singh.

The government had also said at that time that a website was being launched having details of the employees for that purpose.

However, rejecting it, Puri said, "My tenure started in the Civil Aviation ministry in June and Jet Airways had ceased its operations several months before I became a minister. There is no way that I could have made a statement on retrenchment. Jet Airways has already ceased operations." The Naresh Goyal-led Jet Airways, which was the largest private carrier at its time, was grounded on April 17 due to financial troubles.

Jet Airways employed around 18,000 people when the carrier suspended its international and domestic flights.

At present, it facing insolvency proceedings before the NCLT initiated by its lenders.