With GoFirst Airlines ceasing all flights starting today until May 5 amid the bankruptcy, passengers who booked their tickets with the airlines have been left with nowhere to go. The Wadia Group-owned low-cost airline on Tuesday announced suspension of its flight operations from May 3 to May 5 amid severe cash crunch. According to a statement released by the airline, a long-standing issue with American engine maker Pratt & Whitney that grounded half its fleet resulted in a cash crunch, resulting in a domino effect as now all Flights have been cancelled. ,
Not only this, GoFirst has applied for voluntary insolvency proceedings in the NCLT. This has left all GoFirst passengers worried about their tickets and refunds. While the airline said a full refund would be issued to passengers, those who had booked tickets in advance are now left with limited options. Either they would book a flight at a higher cost due to late booking, or they would have to cancel on routes where only GoFirst operated flights.
As reported by ANI, Go First Airlines’ counters at Amritsar airport wore a deserted look as the cash-strapped airlines canceled its flights. A passenger of GoFirst Airlines said that the airline is only talking about giving refund, but “I have a flight to Mumbai, when I reached the airport there was no one at the counter… the airline is only talking about giving us a refund.” is,” said passenger Gurvinder Singh.
Another passenger who booked his ticket with GoFirst Airlines said that the flight was canceled suddenly and he should have been given another flight. Another passenger said, “Our flight was canceled suddenly. They should have given us another flight. They are saying they will refund us after 7 days.”
“Due to operational reasons, GoFirst flights for 3rd, 4th and 5th May 2023 have been cancelled. We sincerely apologize to our loyal customers. We assure you we will be back soon with more information . Full refund will be issued through origin. mode of payment shortly,” mentioned the airline’s official Twitter account.
On the other hand, DGCA has issued a show cause notice to the airline for canceling flights without prior intimation to the aviation body. Also, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that the Government of India is assisting GoFirst Airlines in every possible way, but it is the airline’s duty to make alternate travel arrangements for the passengers so that they do not face inconvenience.
Scindia said, “GoFirst has faced significant supply chain issues with respect to its engines. The Government of India is assisting the airline in all possible ways. The issue has also been taken up with the stakeholders involved.”
“It is unfortunate that this operational bottleneck has given a jolt to the financial position of the airline. It has come to our knowledge that the airline has applied in NCLT. It is prudent to wait for the judicial process to run its course.” He added.
Go First Airlines said on Tuesday that operations would remain suspended due to non-supply of engines by the US-based jet engine maker. A GoFirst official told ANI, “GoFirst is facing a financial crunch due to non-supply of engines by US-based jet engine maker Pratt & Whitney (P&W), which has built over 50 aircraft.” Forced to ground.”