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India’s largest private carrier Jet Airways has extended its comprehensive engine service agreement, OnPoint, with General Electric. The agreement valued at over $200 million, will cover the 22 GE90-115B engines powering the airline’s 10 Boeing 777-300ERs, with GE providing the maintenance, repair and overhaul of these engines through 2022.
Jet has also contracted GE to increase the thrust of its engines. The “thrust bump” will allow the airline ability to operate high payloads when flying out on short runways under severely hot weather primarily in the Middle East.
This is a clear indication that Jet Airways intends to deploy much of its Boeing 777 fleet, currently leased with Turkish Airlines and Thai Airways, to 24% stake holder Etihad Airways PJSC whose hub is Abu Dhabi.
Etihad to commence New Delhi to San Francisco flight using Jet’s 777s
Jet was due to commence a New Delhi to New York flight via Abu Dhabi using two of its Boeing 777-300ERs from May 1. The US FAA downgrade of India to category 2 status, prevented Jet from doing so, since countries in category 2 cannot commence new flights to the United States.
This has disrupted Jet’s plans with the aircraft. While Jet has managed to lease the aircraft to Turkish for a short time, two more aircraft are returning to the fleet on completion of their leases.
Partner Etihad has announced it will commence New Delhi to San Francisco services in November this year, using two of Jet’s 777s.
Etihad Airways schedule New Delhi San Francisco, 18 Nov 14 onwards
| Flight No. | Origin | Depart | Destination | Arrive | Frequency | Aircraft |
| EY223 | New Delhi (DEL) | 21.20 | Abu Dhabi (AUH) | 23.35 | Daily | B777-300ER |
| EY183 | Abu Dhabi (AUH) | 02:15 | San Francisco (SFO) | 06:30 | Daily | B777-300ER |
| Flight No. | Origin | Depart | Destination | Arrive | Frequency | Aircraft |
| EY182 | San Francisco (SFO) | 08:30 | Abu Dhabi (AUH) | 12:40 | Daily | B777-300ER |
| EY224 | Abu Dhabi (AUH) | 15.30 | New Delhi (DEL) | 20.30 | Daily | B777-300ER |
The thrust bump order clearly indicates Abu Dhabi is going to be the new home of Jet’s 777s for the immediate future.
One has to ask, what about Jet’s 787-9 order. Are those 10 aircraft also destined to Abu Dhabi? Etihad is a large purchaser of the 787-9.
Share your thoughts via a comment.
Arrival and departure times of flight 224/223 at DEL are 2120 and 2030 hrs respectively. I don’t suppose they’ll be the same aircraft because the turnaround time is just too short, assuming over 50% pax and cargo from/to SFO will be destined to/from DEL. In that case how can there be another AUH-based 77W on standby at DEL?
Or is it really a 50min turnaround?
EY224/223 for Nov 25th/26th and returning on Dec 14th is showing A320 on EY website booking engine. That may be possible for a 50 min turnaround. But for a 77W, that seems pushing it a bit even if they pick up fuel and meals in AUH. Would they be able to turnaround in 50, if they use 2 jetways?
Etihad won’t just let 9W’s east-facing network go away. Jet needs those 789’s for DEL/BOM to HKG/BKK but also the core network of LHR/CDG/BRU
Anyway, another Gulf option to SFO should do extremely well as EK has been keeping prices inflated SFO-India.
Unless the FAA upgrades India back to Category 1, it will be difficult to use the Jet B777. Besides from a marketing point of view EY would want an Etihad aircraft showing up in SFO.