69% Go First flights delayed on average in past three days; DGCA to probe

Airline forced to raise utilisation of its operational planes; delay as high as 82% on Saturday

About 69 per cent of Go First's flights were delayed between Thursday and Saturday as the airline has been forced to increase utilisation of its operational aircraft with more than 40 per cent of its fleet grounded due to engine supply issues.

"We will look into that," Arun Kumar, Chief, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) told Business Standard when asked about Go First flight delays during the last few days.

Go First operated 212, 212 and 211 flights on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, respectively, according to aviation analytics company Cirium.  

According to data available with the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA), 56 per cent, 69 per cent and 82 per cent flights of Go First were delayed on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, respectively (see table). Therefore, on an average, 69 per cent of the airline's flights were delayed between Thursday and Friday. Go First did not respond to queries sent by Business Standard.

Go First has 57 Airbus A320 (CEO/NEO) planes in its fleet and is operating 30-32 of them. The rest of the planes are grounded primarily due to US-based Pratt and Whitney’s (PW) delay in supplying engines. 

Go First has increased the utilisation of its operational aircraft to cover up the grounding of its Airbus planes. However, the operations department of the airline has found it difficult to operate its existing flight schedule on time with the operational aircraft, sources told the newspaper.

Not just the last three days, the airline's on-time performance (OTP) has been hit for the last few weeks, sources mentioned. For example, the MOCA's data states that about 46 per cent and 67 per cent flights of Go First were delayed on October 31 and November 1, respectively.

Go First has already cut flights in its schedule due to the aircraft groundings. According to Cirium, the airline operated 2,070 flights per week in November 2021. This has reduced by 31 per cent in November 2022 as the airline is operating just 1,429 flights per week now. Even in October this year, it operated 24.3 per cent less flights than October 2021.

Currently, the airline is trying to operate as many flights listed in the present schedule and limit cancellations given the high passenger demand and booked loads. For instance, on Friday and Saturday, it registered load factors of over 90 per cent. "We are taking care of passengers and minimizing inconvenience," a Go First official said.

The official noted that the airline is expected to shortly receive 16 engines from PW and this will help bring grounded planes back in operation. Two engines are deployed on each A320 plane.

Not just Go First, even IndiGo has been affected due to groundings due to slow engine supply. India's largest carrier has grounded about 30 planes in its fleet of about 282 aircraft. However, its OTP has remained at its usual levels. For example, only 8.9 per cent of IndiGo flights were delayed on Saturday, as per the MOCA's data.

On November 1, aviation consultancy firm CAPA said more than 75 planes of Indian carriers were grounded due to maintenance and engine-related issues. These 75 planes account for 10-12 per cent of the total fleet of Indian carriers.

“These will have a significant impact on financials in the second half,” CAPA had said in its India Mid-Year Outlook 2023.

In its regulator filings last month, Go First said its net loss more than doubled to Rs 1,807.91 crore in FY22 due to PW's delay in supplying engines and multiple waves of Covid-19 that affected air travel. The airline incurred net losses of Rs 1270.92 crore and 870.48 crore in FY21 and FY20, respectively.

Go First had in May 2021 filed the draft red herring prospectus (DRHP), wherein it said it wants to raise Rs 3,600 crore via fresh issue of shares. The primary portion of the money raised will be used to clear dues with banks, vendors and aircraft lessors. In August 2021, the airline’s initial public offering (IPO) received the approval of the SEBI.

Last month, the airline said its IPO to raise Rs 3,600 crore was delayed due to the Omicron wave’s “severe” impact on international travel and the “unexpected” Russia-Ukraine war.