Go First Bankruptcy: All Flights Cancelled Till May 9, Full Refund to be Issued

GUWAHATI: Go First, an Indian low-cost airline, said on Thursday that all of its flights up until May 9, 2023, have been cancelled due to operational issues. The airline issued an official statement saying, "We regret to inform you that Go First flights scheduled until May 9th, 2023 have been cancelled due to operational reasons." The airline promised that it would soon give a complete refund for the original form of payment.

Prior to declaring bankruptcy, Go First announced that its flight operations would be suspended from May 3 to May 5. However, according to some reports, flight operations won't resume until May 15.

The DGCA had already directed Go First to handle refunds for travellers impacted by its flight cancellations this week.

According to the aviation authority DGCA, Go First has paused ticket sales till May 15 and is attempting to refund or reschedule existing orders for future dates.

The airline abruptly chose to stop flights for three days starting on May 3, and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) served the airline with a show reason notice.

According to a statement from the regulator, "Go First has intimated that they have suspended the sale of their flights until May 15, 2023, and are working to refund or reschedule for future dates, the passengers already booked to fly with them."

However, Go First has also cancelled other flights because of a severe cash crunch. In its petition to the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), Go First said that it had already cancelled 4,118 flights in the previous 30 days and would have to cancel more given the financial and fleet restrictions it is currently facing.

The airline operated by the Wadia Group alleged in its petition that Pratt & Whitney had broken its promise to replace damaged engines within 48 hours and to repair them at no cost. Go First said that Pratt & Whitney "refuse[s] to recognize any claim for compensation" despite paying the engine manufacturer Rs 400 crore through March 2020 after "recognizing its failure."

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