Aviation

airBaltic Welcomes Millionth Bombardier CS300 Passenger

Today, April 24, the Latvian airline airBaltic welcomed its millionth passenger traveling on the
brand new Bombardier CS300 aircraft since the launch of commercial operations of the aircraft on
December 14, 2016. The lucky millionth passenger was Santa Klēģere, who arrived at Riga International
Airport on board an airBaltic flight from Paris.

Martin Gauss, Chief Executive Officer of airBaltic: “I am delighted today, together with our partners and
passengers, to celebrate such an important milestone in the modernization of our fleet – the millionth
passenger on our Bombardier CS300 aircraft. Since we became the first airline in the world to start
commercial operations with the Bombardier CS300, we and our passengers have benefited greatly from
the improved flying experience.“
“We are extremely satisfied that our new aircraft have exceeded expectations, and this has been the
best ever entry into service of a new aircraft type for airBaltic. Our team is happy to hear the positive
feedback from customers who appreciate the flying experience and are already asking for additional
CS300 operating on the airBaltic route map,” Gauss adds.

“We are happy to celebrate alongside airBaltic, and are thrilled that the airline has reached yet another
historical milestone with the CS300,” said Ryan DeBrusk, Vice President, Commercial Aircraft Sales –
Europe, Russia and CIS, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “airBaltic continues to achieve phenomenal
results with its new fleet of C Series. We congratulate the airline for their one millionth passenger, and
wish our CS300 launch operator continued success.”
Since the launch of commercial operations with the CS300, the airline has completed more than 9 069
flights and flown over 23 603 block hours. Today, every fourth airBaltic passenger flies the CS300
aircraft.
By the end of 2019, airBaltic is planning to have 20 Bombardier CS300 aircraft in its fleet. With an
average jet fleet age of only two years, airBaltic, as an all-Bombardier operator, will have one of the
youngest jet fleets in Europe.
This week, from April 25 till April 27, airBaltic together with Bombardier will participate at the global
aerospace industry exhibition ILA Berlin, where one of airBaltic’s Bombardier CS300 aircraft will be
displayed.

Aviation

No More Jet Airways. Supreme Court Says “No Choice”, Orders Liquidation

Jet Airways was once one of India’s leading airlines, known for its service and extensive network. Founded in 1993, it served millions of passengers, connecting cities across India and international destinations.

However, since grounding its flights in April 2019, Jet Airways has struggled to navigate financial turbulence, leading to years of efforts to revive the airline and return it to the skies.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court ordered the liquidation of Jet Airways, citing “no choice” but to take this decisive step after the resolution plan failed to meet creditor obligations. The court invoked its extraordinary powers under Article 142, which allows it to make orders for “complete justice” in any case, overriding previous tribunal rulings.

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The Jalan-Kalrock Consortium (JKC), which had won the bid to revive Jet, faced criticism for not fulfilling payment commitments to creditors, which included major banks like the State Bank of India and Punjab National Bank.

The Supreme Court’s ruling pointed to “peculiar and alarming” issues surrounding the resolution plan’s implementation, leading to its conclusion that liquidation was the only feasible outcome.

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Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, alongside Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, emphasized that while liquidation should be a last resort, it was necessary as the resolution plan was “no longer capable of implementation.”

In line with this decision, the court ordered that the ₹200 crore already infused by JKC be forfeited and directed the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) in Mumbai to appoint a liquidator to oversee the process.

JKC, a partnership between Murari Jalan, a UAE-based Indian entrepreneur, and Florian Fritsch, a Jet shareholder through Kalrock Capital Partners Limited, had taken ownership of Jet Airways two years after it was grounded. The consortium’s inability to fulfill its financial obligations has now led to this final verdict, marking the end of an era for Jet Airways in India.