Go First has a history of missing financial obligations, says Pratt & Whitney – Times of India

NEW DELHI: US aerospace major Pratt & Whitney (P&W) on Wednesday hit back at Go First with sources in the company saying that the airline “has a lengthy history of missing its financial obligations to Pratt”. P&W had been squarely blamed by Go First for running out of funds as it filed a voluntary insolvency plea, which will be heard by the NCLT on Thursday, reports Saurabh Sinha. “P&W is committed to the success of our airline customers, and we continue to prioritise delivery schedules for all customers… complying with the March 2023 arbitration ruling related to Go First…. now a matter of litigation, we will not comment further,” P&W said in a statement.
“Hundreds” of Go First pilots and other employees are “desperately” trying to get jobs with IndiGo, Air India and some other airlines. Going by the past experience of big collapses like Kingfisher and Jet Airways, the nearly 5,000 staff is not sure when and if Go First will resume flying, with how many planes and for how long.
“The airline has stated it has run out of funds. Unlike Kingfisher’s Vijay Mallya, Go promoters knew when to cut their losses. If it somehow resumes operations with, say, 20-25 planes, Go will not need so many people. It has been sending people on leave without pay with impunity since Covid and we don’t know our fate,” said an employee. Another long-time senior employee said, “We received our March salary in the last week of April. Now, no one knows if and when we will get our April salary. Those who have worked here for several years are apprehensive about gratuity.”
Not surprisingly, airlines like IndiGo and Air India are flooded with job applications from Go First staff, which has close to 740 pilots right from captains to trainee first officers. These two airlines are also looking at Go’s airworthy fleet as the three of them use Airbus A320neo family of planes. “Hundreds of pilots are desperately reaching out to us. They are in absolute panic mode about their future,” said a senior official of one of the big airlines where employees are sending SOS messages. IndiGo had held a road show last month when 150 pilots from other airlines, including Go First, had joined it.