Govt Bailout For Go First Unlikely Unless Engine Issue Resolved: Union Minister V K Singh

Minister of State for Civil Aviation V K Singh said, "The problem with Go Air is that their flights are run on engines of Pratt & Whitney and they are having management issues"

A Go First spokesperson has said that the airline stopped ticket booking before the DGCA notice.

Source : Getty

Minister of State for Civil Aviation V K Singh on Monday said that Cash-strapped airline Go First is unlikely to get a bailout from the government without any solution to its ongoing engine issues. Talking to news agency ANI, Minister of State for Civil Aviation also said that the government has offered help to US-based Pratt & Whitney.

V K Singh told ANI, "The problem with Go Air is that their flights are run on engines of Pratt & Whitney and they (Pratt & Whitney) are having management issues, after covid, their manufacturing has reduced. So (engine) manufacturing is not happening at the pace that it should have."

He said the government has offered help to Pratt & Whitney.

#WATCH | "The problem with Go Air is that their flights are run on engines of Pratt & Whitney and they (Pratt & Whitney) are having management issues, after covid, their manufacturing has reduced. If there is no engine, what can be done?...we've spoken to Pratt & Whitney &… pic.twitter.com/CyfywH5qb7

— ANI (@ANI) May 8, 2023

"What can be done about a bailout? Where will Pratt & Whitney get (engines)? Bailout can only happen when something can be done about this," he further added. 

 

Go First has become the first airline to collapse since 2019, when Jet Airways also folded.  As more lessors sought to repossess planes and the aviation regulator ordered the carrier to stop selling new tickets, Go First has requested bankruptcy protection from the company law tribunal and has ceased issuing new tickets.

 

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked crisis-hit GoFirst to stop selling any more air tickets with immediate effect until further orders. The aviation regulator has issued a show cause notice to the airline for their failure to continue operations in a safe, efficient, and reliable manner and asked why its licence should not be revoked in view of its failure to operate flights.

Meanwhile, a Go First spokesperson has said that the airline stopped ticket booking before the DGCA notice. 

"To reduce the inconvenience to the passengers, we had already stopped taking bookings, before the DGCA issued the Notice. GO FIRST is taking all possible measures to reduce passenger inconvenience. As regards the DGCA Notice, the same will be responded to, in due course," the spokesperson said. 

The crisis-hit airline last week announced the cancellation of all its flights until May 12, 2023, "due to operational reasons". The airline, which has been flying for more than 17 years, has also suspended the sale of tickets till May 15.

The DGCA has given GoFirst till May 24 to respond after which a decision will be taken by the regulator on Go First's Air Operator Certificate. The DGCA in its notice to GoFirst asked the airline why its AOC should not be revoked over "failure to continue ops in safe, efficient and reliable manner".