Dozens of pilots, many from crisis-hit Go First, flocked to a Tata group hotel near Delhi on Thursday for walk-in interviews with the conglomerate’s Air India airline.
Go First’s announcement on Tuesday that it had filed for bankruptcy as demand for post-pandemic air travel in the world’s most populous country boomed came as a shock to many employees.
“It is very disheartening, the airline was functioning as if everything was normal,” said a pilot who joined Go First two years ago and was waiting in a long line at Tata’s Taj Hotel. “We have to jump ship in order to keep our flying licences current.”
Reuters spoke with more than a dozen pilots and cabin crew at the Air India programme, which was first announced on Wednesday, and another run by sister company Vistara, all of whom declined to be named as they were still employed by Go First.
While Air India, Vistara and the country’s biggest airline IndiGo have conducted similar hiring drives in the past, the people Reuters spoke to said the turnout was larger than normal. They attributed the numbers to the plight of Go First, formerly known as Go Airlines (India), which has around 7,000 employees.
Lessors bid to reclaim aircraft
At least eight lessors have approached the civil aviation regulator DGCA to repossess about 20 aircraft leased to bankrupt budget carrier Go First.
The troubled carrier was operating 15 of the 20 aircraft till May 2, when it filed for voluntary insolvency.
Under the Irrevocable De-registration and Export Request Authorisations (IDERA), the civil aviation regulator is required to de-register aircraft within five days in cases such as the default of rentals.
The de-registration requests have been made for 16 Airbus A320neos which are powered by Pratt & Whitney engines and four Airbus 320s run on CFM engines. The eight Dublin-based lessors want to haul the aircraft outside the country.
The move from the lessors comes after the airline moved the court seeking an interim moratorium on its assets till the National Company Law Tribunal hears its insolvency plea. The NCLT has reserved its verdict on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the tribunal is set to hear on Monday two petitions — one by a pilot and the other by a company which provided transport services — seeking insolvency proceedings against the airline.