Go First Airways conducts test-flight amid its financial turbulence

The airline has to reportedly adhere to the DGCA's guidelines and obtain their approval for the flight schedule before selling tickets for the new flights

Go First Airways first ceased its operations in early May after getting suspended for filing a bankruptcy voluntarily, allotting its slots to other airlines. The airline made an announcement on 24th July 2023 about the cancellation of flights up until 27th July 2023, citing operational reasons. However, they initiated a test flight on 25th July, Tuesday, and were successful in conducting it – intimating that they might be resuming operations soon.

A few days back, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) granted limited approval to the airline to resume flights with either 15 aircraft or 114 flights daily. The airline may be able to resume its scheduled flights soon subject to compliance with the regulatory requirements and once it ensures the fitness of all its aircraft involved in its operations to hold an Air Operator Certificate (AOC).

Go First’s Committee of Creditors (CoC) in their meeting recently approved funding the revival of the airline’s operations – upon which, the airline can finally be eligible to approach the DCGA for its final approval. The ultimate acceptance of the 15 aircraft is however subject to receiving approval for the pending applications before both the Delhi High Court and the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), too. The airline cannot fully finalise the acquisition until these legal and regulatory approvals are secured.

Furthermore, as per the current order, the airline is only permitted to sell tickets once the DGCA grants approval for the new flight schedule. This new schedule must be submitted to the DGCA periodically, as per their requirements. The airline has to reportedly adhere to the DGCA’s guidelines and obtain their approval for the flight schedule before selling tickets for the new flights.

In addition to their announcement about the test flight, Go First Airways had previously mentioned that they had filed an application to address the issues they were facing and to swiftly resume their regular operations. Unfortunately, following this announcement, the company faced a significant backlash from customers who were affected by the flight cancellations during the specified timeline. Customers expressed their frustration and concerns, demanding clarity on the refund procedure for their disrupted flights.