Go First Hopes To Resume Flights By Month-End With 157 Daily Flights: Report

As per Go First's revival plan submitted to the aviation regulator DGCA, the airline can operate 157 daily flights domestically, compared with the 167 it flew previously.

Crisis-ridden Go First Airline is hoping to resume its operations by the end of the month with 94 per cent restored daily flights, reported Bloomberg citing a person familiar with the matter. The report told the news outlet that as per Go First's revival plan submitted to the aviation regulator DGCA, the airline can operate 157 daily flights domestically, compared with the 167 it flew previously.

The Wadia Group-owned budget carrier abruptly halted flights last month on May 3, blaming faulty Pratt & Whitney engines. Later the airline applied for voluntary insolvency proceedings which was accepted by the appellant authority NCLT. The tribunal also appointed an insolvency professional for the airline.     

According to the report, Go Airline Ltd, which rebranded as Go First about two years ago hopes the regulator may approve its revival proposal this week and allow it to resume flights in the next two weeks. Previously, the airline aimed to restart flights in May, but that proved over-optimistic and never materialized, the source told Bloomberg. 

The carrier is also waiting for creditors to approve additional funding, the report said. 

Go First before halting its operations had a 6.4 per cent share in the domestic aviation market, the report noted. Adding that, the airline intends to utilise 22 aircraft and keep four additional jets in reserve for future requirements.

Despite experiencing the departure of approximately 175 pilots during the recent challenging period, Go First still retains a pilot strength of over 500, which is sufficient to operate around 30 aircraft, eliminating the immediate need for further pilot recruitment, the report further said. 

According to a Bloomberg source, Go First intends to discontinue services to less profitable destinations such as Varanasi, Patna, Lucknow, and Ranchi. Instead, the airline plans to concentrate its efforts on high-demand areas like Srinagar, Delhi, and Leh, where fares have significantly increased during Go First's absence.

Go First has said that it faced persistent challenges for several years due to "premature failures and shutdowns" of Pratt GTF engines, resulting in the grounding of half of its Airbus SE A320neo fleet. The airline is currently pursuing $1.1 billion in compensation from the engine manufacturer through US arbitration and is also seeking the fulfillment of outstanding orders for 144 engines. In response, Pratt said in May that it remains committed to prioritising delivery schedules for its customers and is complying with an arbitration court's directive to supply parts to Go First.

According to the report IndiGo, also has more than 35 aircraft grounded due to a shortage of spare engines, Chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers said in May. Deutsche Lufthansa AG said a third of its A220 fleet in Zurich is idled due to engine troubles.