India’s budget carrier Go First is in constant touch with authorities regarding its flight resumption plans. The airline is juggling multiple issues for the time being, from retaining pilots to making sure 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 in order that its AOC doesn’t 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 nineteenth and emphasized that it’s taking all of the obligatory steps to be ready for flight resumption.
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Businessline reports that sources within the DGCA have said that the carrier explained that its decision to file for insolvency was not on account of an inability to operate. It was essentially done to deal with issues related to the airline’s debt-related matters.
The airline also assured that it’s following all protocols in maintaining its aircraft, in order that they are ready for flight resumption, every time that happens. Go First has requested that the DGCA not revoke its AOC because that might end in the airline collapsing, which can be very hard to get better from. An individual aware of the matter said,
Multiple issues to tackle
Meanwhile, the airline has prolonged the suspension period of its flight once more, this time until June 4th. It just isn’t taking any further bookings and is facing an increasing pile of refunds to be issued with every extension.
There’s also the difficulty of getting an adequate workforce to resume operations, particularly flying crew. Reports of Go First pilots leaving to hitch rival airlines have been doing the rounds currently. Air India has reportedly hired several Go First pilots who’re undergoing training for his or her roles throughout the Tata-owned airline.
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To maintain its pilots from leaving, Go First has also give you a retention allowance from June 1st wherein captains will reportedly get ₹100,000 ($1,211), while first officers will get ₹50,000 ($605).
Then there’s the difficulty of lessors who’re 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 strategy to tackle all these problems and successfully restarts operations.
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