GO FIRST REQUESTS REGULATOR NOT TO SUSPEND AOC

India’s budget carrier Go First is in constant touch with authorities regarding its flight resumption plans. The airline is juggling multiple issues at the moment, from retaining pilots to ensuring it has enough airworthy planes to restart operations. And a recent report has said that it has assured India’s aviation regulator of its readiness to fly again so that its AOC does not get revoked.

Request to the DGCA

India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), issued a show-cause notice to Go First soon after it suspended operations. The airline replied to the notice on May 19th and emphasized that it is taking all the necessary steps to be ready for flight resumption.

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Businessline reports that sources in the DGCA have said that the carrier explained that its decision to file for insolvency was not due to an inability to operate. It was essentially done to address issues related to the airline’s debt-related matters.

The airline also assured that it is following all protocols in maintaining its aircraft, so they are ready for flight resumption, whenever that happens. Go First has requested that the DGCA not revoke its AOC because that could result in the airline collapsing, which would be very hard to recover from. A person familiar with the matter said,

“The airline has expressed intent on the resumption of operations at the earliest. They have said that they are confident of doing so.”

Multiple issues to tackle

Meanwhile, the airline has extended the suspension period of its flight once again, this time until June 4th. It is not taking any further bookings and is facing an increasing pile of refunds to be issued with every extension.

There’s also the issue of having an adequate workforce to resume operations, particularly flying crew. Reports of Go First pilots leaving to join rival airlines have been doing the rounds lately. Air India has reportedly hired several Go First pilots who are undergoing training for their roles within the Tata-owned airline.

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To keep its pilots from leaving, Go First has also come up with a retention allowance from June 1st in which captains will reportedly get ₹100,000 ($1,211), while first officers will get ₹50,000 ($605).

Then there’s the issue of lessors who are unhappy with the bankruptcy protection given to the carrier, which prevents them from claiming their aircraft back. Reports suggest that as many as 40 lessor requests are pending with the DCGA, which has put them on hold until the carrier’s moratorium period is over. Here's hoping the carrier finds a way to tackle all these problems and successfully restarts operations.

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Source: Businessline

2023-06-01T06:12:15Z dg43tfdfdgfd