Jet Airways India, the carrier undergoing a court-monitored process to emerge from bankruptcy, will not return to the skies this month as previously planned, according to people familiar with the matter.

The airline, once India’s top private carrier, could not sell tickets in September because lenders were reluctant to allow it to take on any fresh liabilities such as an aircraft order, said the people, asking not to be identified discussing private negotiations. Jet was also still in talks with plane manufacturers and lessors to obtain contracts, one of the people said.

The airline was “very close” to finalising its initial fleet plan and preparing to start sales and resume operations “in the coming weeks”, a representative for Jet’s new owners said in a statement. “There is no deadline; target dates are set by us alone, and we have always maintained that this is a marathon, not a sprint.”

There were no restrictions on Jet placing an aircraft order, and it was free to add new assets, the statement added.

The Bloomberg News had reported in late August that Jet was in advanced talks to order about 50 Airbus SE A220 aircraft. The carrier was also in discussions with Boeing Co and Airbus to potentially place a “sizable” order for the 737 Max or A320neo families of jets.

After collapsing in debt in 2019, Jet is being taken over by Dubai-based businessman Murari Lal Jalan and Florian Fritsch, the chairman of London-based financial services firm Kalrock Capital Management. They had vowed to get the carrier back in the air by March this year, but Jet has not placed an order for any new aircraft after the majority of its old fleet was leased to other airlines. It has, however, started hiring staff and begun a social media campaign.