Pratt & Whitney (P&W), the US aerospace giant, retaliated when Go First filed for bankruptcy, accusing P&W of forcing half of its fleet off the air, claiming that the low-cost carrier had a “lengthy history of missing its financial obligations.”
According to a source within P&W, the low-cost carrier has a long history of failing to meet its financial commitments to Pratt & Whitney. The US engine manufacturer said that it was “committed to the success of our airline customers, and we continue to prioritise delivery schedules for all customers” in a statement. P&W is abiding with the March 2023 arbitration decision concerning Go First. We will not provide any commentary since this is currently a legal situation.
Go First Airlines said on Tuesday that operations will remain cancelled as a result of Pratt & Whitney's failure to provide engines.
Go First is experiencing financial difficulties as a result of the US-based Pratt and Whitney (P&W) jet engine manufacturer's refusal to deliver engines, which necessitated the grounding of more than 50 aircraft.
Passengers who purchased their tickets from the airlines were abandoned amid the confusion. Go First Airlines said that all scheduled flights would be cancelled from May 3 to May 5, and that customers will get a full refund.
Go First Airlines' official media account tweeted, “GoFirst flights for the third, fourth, and fifth of May 2023 have been cancelled due to operational issues. We sincerely sorry to all of our devoted clients. You can count on us to return shortly with additional details. Soon, a complete refund will be processed using the original payment method.
The Government of India has been aiding Go First Airlines in every way possible, but it is the airline's responsibility to organise alternate transport for customers so that they do not experience difficulty, according to Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
The low-cost airline Go First Airlines in India received a show cause notice from India's aviation watchdog, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), on Tuesday for failing to notify DGCA in advance of the cancellation of flights scheduled for May 3 and May 4.
The DGCA has been informed that Go First has cancelled all planned flights for May 3 and May 4, respectively, in 2023. The DGCA has not received any previous notification of such cancellations, which is in violation of the requirements for schedule approval, according to an official statement released by the DGCA.
Go First Airlines has been asked to respond by the DGCA within 24 hours of the show cause notice being issued. In this respect, Go First Airlines said that operations will stay cancelled as a result of the US-based jet engine manufacturer's failure to provide engines.
Go First said on Tuesday that it has submitted a request to the National Company Law Tribunal in New Delhi.
The low-cost carrier explained in a statement that it was forced to take this action because of a “increasing number of failing engines supplied by Pratt & Whitney's International Aero Engines, LLC, which has resulted in GO FIRST having to ground 25 aircraft (equivalent to roughly 50% of its Airbus A320neo aircraft fleet) as of 1 May 2023.”
According to the airline, the proportion of grounded aircraft as a result of Pratt & Whitney's defective engines increased from 7% in December 2019 to 31% in December 2020 to 50% in December 2022. It claimed that despite Pratt & Whitney making several recurring promises over the years that it continually broke, this was the case.
According to the low-cost carrier, Pratt & Whitney, the sole engine provider for GO FIRST's fleet of Airbus A320neo aircraft, refused to abide by an award made by an emergency arbitrator designated in accordance with the 2016 Arbitration Rules of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC). This forced the airline to file an application with the NCLT.
According to the airline, “that order directed Pratt & Whitney to take all reasonable steps to release and dispatch without delay to GO FIRST at least 10 serviceable spare leased engines by 27 April 2023,” and “a further 10 spare leased engines per month until December 2023, with the objective of GO FIRST returning to full operations and achieving GO FIRST's financial rehabilitation and survival.”
The airline said, “If Pratt & Whitney were to comply with the orders in the emergency arbitrator's award, GO FIRST would be able to return to full operations by August/September 2023.”
