Go First crew stranded in Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Phuket after airline goes bankrupt: Sources

Employees of the low-cost Indian airline Go First have been allegedly left stranded at several locations in India and abroad after the company filed for bankruptcy and suspended all flights till May 5.

Sources aware of the matter have told Business Today that cabin crew and pilots have been stranded in locations where the flights were supposed to take off from May 3 to May 5.

“Go First had flights scheduled from Abu Dhabi Wednesday through Friday, and there was a flight from Kuwait on Thursday. Some flights were also scheduled from Bangkok, Muscat, and Phuket. Since those flights have been suspended, the staff is left stranded there,” the source said.

This is particularly challenging for the staff stuck abroad since they don’t necessarily have the permission to step outside the airport in case they need to, the source explained.

“It can be managed for one or two days but if they don't put some other flight back home, it will become very difficult for them. They cannot leave the airport and what about the reimbursements of all the extra days they stay there,” he said.

The airline’s staff are also stranded at domestic locations, without any clarity on what comes next.

A cabin crew member told Business Today, “I got on a flight to Jaipur earlier this week and was supposed to fly out to Bengaluru on Wednesday. But since the flight has been suspended, me and my crew members are left here. We don’t even know if the flights will continue from Saturday.”

Business Today has reached out to Go First for a response on the same.

On Tuesday, Go First filed for bankruptcy at the National Company Law Tribunal due to increasing losses. The airline blamed engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney for going bust.

Go First said in a statement,  “In the absence of Pratt & Whitney not providing the required number of spare leased engines in accordance with the order issued by the emergency arbitrator, Go First is no longer in a position to continue to meet its financial obligations.”

The engine manufacturer responded to the airline’s remarks and said that Go First has a “long history of non-payment.”

This development is significant as Go First is the first major airline to go bankrupt in India after Jet Airways in 2019.

Also Read: 'Employees worst hit when airline shuts': Uncertainty grips 5,000 Go First staff as company files for bankruptcy - BusinessToday

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