Go First Bankruptcy: Airline Backs Emergency Arbitration In Dispute With Pratt & Whitney

Go Air blames the Raytheon Technologies-owned engine maker for its financial woes and recent bankruptcy filing, arguing that the US firm supplied "faulty" engines and failed to replace them on time

Crisis-hit Go Airlines has said that it needed an emergency arbitration in its dispute with engine maker Pratt & Whitney to be enforced in Delaware to prevent it from going out of business, Reuters reported. According to the report, the airline blames the Raytheon Technologies-owned engine maker for its financial woes and recent bankruptcy filing, arguing that the US firm supplied "faulty" engines and failed to replace them on time, resulting in the grounding of half of its fleet.

 

Go Airlines, also known as Go First, has approached a district court in Delaware to enforce an arbitration order made in Singapore in March, which ordered Pratt to assist the airline and supply serviceable spare engines.

Last week, Pratt & Whitney argued in the Delaware court that Go First's claim was "unfounded" and the dynamics of the dispute had changed. The engine maker said it faces more risks after Go First was granted bankruptcy protection and asked the court to put on hold or dismiss the airline's request. Pratt's argument "fails," Go Airlines said in a filing with the Delaware court.

 

There is a very real danger that Go First will go out of business unless relief is given, at least in respect of delivery of engines, the airline quoted the emergency arbitrator as saying in the filing. The stay that Pratt sought would cause the harm that the emergency arbitration awards were designed to prevent, the filing added. Pratt & Whitney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

 

Meanwhile, The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) will pass its order on May 22 on petitions filed by three aircraft lessors against Go First's voluntary insolvency resolution proceedings. A two-member bench headed by Chairperson Justice Ashok Bhushan on Monday reserved its order after completing the hearing on the the three petitions.

The tribunal bench also asked the parties to submit additional documents, if any, in the next 48 hours. The appellate tribunal was hearing a batch of petitions filed by SMBC Aviation Capital Ltd, GY Aviation and SFV Aircraft Holdings.

All three lessors have leased out around 21 aircraft to Go First. So far this month, several lessors have approached aviation regulator DGCA for deregistration and repossession of Go First's 45 planes.