Respite For Go First Airline: Singapore Court Orders P&W To Deliver 5 Engines Per Month

Pratt & Whitney on Thursday said it respects the Interim Arbitration ruling of a Singapore court, directing the US-based engine maker to send five engines every month to Go First airlines between August and December, adding that it will comply with the same. The official spokesperson for Pratt & Whitney said, "We look forward to vigorously defending ourselves during the merits proceedings where the business and legal issues will be determined and resolved." The ruling by the Singapore court came brought some respite to the carrier, which found itself in a bankruptcy court after a fiscal slump and funds crunch.

The Singapore court issued a seven-point order to the US-based engine. "The respondent must take all reasonable steps to release and dispatch to the Claimant, without delay as they become available, five Engines per month immediately after any Engine becomes available and commencing, at the latest, on 1 August 2023 and continuing through 31 December 2023, subject to further orders of this Tribunal," the order said.

Earlier, in May, Go First filed for bankruptcy at the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) and suspended its flight operations due to rising losses, primarily due to delays in the delivery of Pratt and Whitney's engines leading to the grounding of a portion of its fleet. The airline said it expected immediate resolution and revival of operations.

"We regret to inform you that due to operational reasons, Go First flights scheduled till 30th June 2023 have been cancelled. We apologise for the inconvenience caused by the flight cancellations," the airline said in a tweet.

"We acknowledge the flight cancellations might have disrupted your travel plans and we are committed to providing all the assistance we can," it said. "As you are aware, the company has filed an application for immediate resolution and revival of operations. We will be able to resume bookings shortly. We thank you for your patience," it added.

There were reports that the grounding of the Go First flights had put pressure on airfares, particularly on select routes where the now-grounded airline had its footprint.