Sanjiv Kapoor quits as Jet Airways CEO; Jalan Karlrock remain committed to revival of carrier

Months after being barred from using the title of Jet Airways' CEO, Sanjiv Kapoor has quit the ailing airline, struggling to relaunch operations. He had been appointed Jet's CEO designate by a consortium Murari Lal Jalan and Karlrock Capital in 2022, before its ownership was transferred to them.

He had been instructed not to represent the airline as CEO by the management committee head and ex-resolution professional Ashish Chhawchharia.

Who is Sanjiv Kapoor?

• An MBA from the University of Pennysilvania, Kapoor has more than 20 years of experience in aviation, and also had a stint as the president of Oberoi Hotels before joining Jet Airways.

• Before briefly moving into the hospitality sector, Kapoor had already navigated the affordable aviation space with SpiceJet and GoAir, as well as Bangladesh's GMG airlines.

• In his last job in aviation before Jet Airways, Kapoor oversaw marketing and network planning as Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer at Tata's popular airline Vistara.

• Following Kapoor's exit during a crucial stage of Jet Airways' recovery, the Jalan Karlrock Consortium which had appointed him, has reiterated its commitment to reviving the carrier.

• In a release, JKC stated that its Executive Committee will step in for the CEO designate, and carry out the process after his exit.

• Board member Ankit Jalan stated that the transfer of ownership to the consortium is in its last stage, and they will start repaying creditors after operations are restarted.

A turbulent year at Jet?

• He was roped in to lead Jet Airways, after the bankrupt carrier underwent a resolution process from 2019 to 2021.

• Although the grounded airline is expected to take off again towards a recovery in 2023, Kapoor had recently said that the management doesn't want to rush its revival.