As Go First Airlines grounded flights all of its flights starting today till May 5 amid bankruptcy, passengers who booked their tickets with the airlines are left in the middle of nowhere. The low-cost airline promoted by the Wadia Group on Tuesday announced that its flight operations will remain cancelled from May 3 to May 5 amid a severe cash crunch. As per a statement issued by the airline, the long standing issue with US engine maker Pratt & Whitney resulted in grounding of half of its fleet, which resulted in a cash crunch, that further resulted in a domino effect as all the flights are now cancelled.
Not only this, Go First has applied for voluntary insolvency proceedings at the NCLT. This has left all the Go First passengers worried about their tickets and refunds. While the airline added that a full refund will be issued to the passengers, those who booked tickets in advance are now stranded with limited options in hand. Either they will book a flight at the higher price due to late booking, or they will have to cancel the journey on routes where only Go First operated the flights.
As reported by ANI, counters of Go First Airlines lie deserted at Amritsar airport as the cash-strapped airlines ground their flights. A passenger of Go First Airlines said that the airline is only talking about giving a refund but "I have my flight to Mumbai, as I reached the airport there was nobody at the counter...we asked to adjust us to other flights but the airline is only talking about giving us a refund," said Gurvinder Singh the passenger.
Another passenger who booked her ticket with Go First Airlines said that the flight was cancelled suddenly and should have been given another flight. "Our flight was cancelled suddenly. They should have given us another flight. They are telling us they will refund us after 7 days," said another passenger.
"Due to operational reasons, GoFirst flights for 3rd, 4th and 5th May 2023 have been cancelled. We sincerely apologise to our loyal customers. We assure you that we will be back with more information soon. A full refund will be issued through the original mode of payment shortly," mentioned the official Twitter account of the airline.
DGCA, on the other hand, has issued a show cause notice to the airline for cancelling the flights without prior intimation to the aviation body. Also, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that the Government of India has been assisting Go First Airlines in every possible manner but it is incumbent upon the airline to make alternative travel arrangements for passengers so that they do not face inconvenience.
"Go First has been faced with critical supply chain issues with regard to their engines. The GOI has been assisting the airline in every possible manner. The issue has also been taken up with the stakeholders involved," Scindia said.
"It is unfortunate that this operational bottleneck has dealt a blow to the airline`s financial position. It has come to our knowledge that the airline has applied to the NCLT. It is prudent to wait for the judicial process to run its course," he added.
On Tuesday, Go First Airlines said that due to the non-supply of engines by the US-based Jet engines manufacturer, operations will remain cancelled. "Go First is facing financial crunch due to non-supply of engines by US-based jet engines manufacturer Pratt and Whitney (P&W) that has forced grounding more than 50 planes," a Go First official told ANI.
