Rajya Sabha member Ajay Sancheti has also reiterated an observation made earlier by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture that Etihad paid a premium of 32 per cent over the market price for acquisition of just 24 per cent equity in Jet.
But sources in Jet Airways have denied the allegations levelled by Mr Sancheti, with Jet Airways saying earlier that “substantial ownership and effective control will remain with Indian nationals — with Jet chairman Naresh Goyal as the non-executive chairman holding 51 per cent of the company”.
In another letter to the CVC, Lok Sabha member Nishik-ant Dubey has raised serious questions over the alleged sale of some of Jet Airways’ flight slots in London to Etihad Airways, and has sought an investigation into this by the CBI and Enforcement Directorate. Though sources in Jet have denied any wrongdoing by the airline, a recent Standing Committee report said: “The Committee feels that carriers have no right to sell the bilateral allotted to them to other airline, that too a foreign airline.”