MUMBAI: India’s budget airline GoFirst filed for bankruptcy proceedings on Tuesday,
blaming “faulty” Pratt & Whitney engines for the grounding of about half its fleet.

The move according to aviation experts marks the first major airline collapse in India since Jet Airways filed for bankruptcy in 2019. As reported by The Arabian Stories, GoFirst has halted booking for three days – May 3 to May 5 – and has grounded nearly 60 percent of its flights. The budget airline operates flights to Mumbai, Kochi and Kannur from Muscat.

GoFirst said its filing with the National Company Law Tribunal comes after Pratt & Whitney, the exclusive engine supplier for the airline’s Airbus A320neo aircraft fleet, refused to comply with an order to release spare leased engines to the airline that would have allowed it return to full operations.

“GoFirst 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 GoFirst official told ANI.

The Wadia-group-owned airline is looking for a strategic investor in the company and is talking to potential investors.

On Tuesday, social media was flooded with complaints from passengers regarding the cancellation of their scheduled GoFirst flights. The passengers complained to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and DGCA, demanding their refunds on bookings.

“My GoFirst ticket booking was cancelled without any reason. If flight G8 237 is operational on 03.05.2023 then there is no reason to cancel except to sell tickets at higher prices. Why only booking is cancelled when the flight is operational?” a passenger asked.

“A flight has been cancelled for tomorrow from Srinagar to Delhi. It was cancelled and rescheduled without informing. Too Bad service GoAir. Please Refund My Money,” another passenger said.

GoFirst had 30 aircraft grounded as of March 31, including nine on which the lease payments are due, industry officials said. Go First has a total of 61 aircraft in its fleet – 56 A320neos and five A320ceos, according to the airline’s website.

The loss of passenger revenue comes when airfares are high and traffic is soaring after the pandemic. The airline plans to operate 1,538 flights a week in the ongoing summer schedule, 40 lower than last year. The season started on March 26 and goes on till October 28.The fall in passengers carried has impacted Go First’s financials.

The airline reported a net loss of $218 million in FY22, according to regulatory filings. This was twice as much as the previous year’s loss of $105 million.

*With additional inputs from ANI.