Go First, founded as GoAir, was an Indian
low-cost airline
A low-cost carrier (LCC) or low-cost airline, also called a budget, or discount carrier or airline, is an airline that is operated with an emphasis on minimizing operating costs. It sacrifices certain traditional airline luxuries for cheaper fa ...
based in
Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
,
Maharashtra
Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...
. Owned by the Indian business conglomerate
Wadia Group
Wadia Group is an Indian multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate, founded in Surat, headquartered in Mumbai. It was founded by Lovji Nusserwanjee Wadia in 1736 and is the List of oldest companies in India, ...
, it commenced operations on 4 November 2005 and operated a fleet of
Airbus A320
The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus.
The A320 was launched in March 1984, Maiden flight, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France.
The first membe ...
aircraft in an all-economy configuration.
In 2021, the airline planned to launch an
IPO
An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investment ...
to raise . In 2023, the airline faced difficulties with the availability of
Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of RTX Corporation (formerly Raytheon Technologies). Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially ...
engines used on its entire fleet of A320 aircraft, alleging that the problem was impacting its operations. Subsequently, the airline ceased operations on 3 May 2023 and filed for voluntary insolvency with the
National Company Law Tribunal
The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) is a quasi-judicial body in India that adjudicates issues relating to Indian companies. The tribunal, established under the Companies Act 2013, was constituted on 1 June 2016 by the government of India a ...
.
History
GoAir was founded in 2005 by
Jehangir Wadia, son of Indian industrialist
Nusli Wadia. The airline is a wholly owned subsidiary of the
Wadia Group
Wadia Group is an Indian multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate, founded in Surat, headquartered in Mumbai. It was founded by Lovji Nusserwanjee Wadia in 1736 and is the List of oldest companies in India, ...
.
GoAir commenced its operations using an
Airbus A320
The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus.
The A320 was launched in March 1984, Maiden flight, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France.
The first membe ...
aircraft and operated its inaugural flight from
Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
to
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...
on 4 November 2005.
The airline initially operated with a single aircraft to four destinations, including
Goa
Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...
and
Coimbatore
Coimbatore (Tamil: kōyamputtūr, ), also known as Kovai (), is one of the major Metropolitan cities of India, metropolitan cities in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyy ...
, with plans to induct 36 aircraft by 2008. In March 2008, the airline announced revised plans to operate 11 aircraft and service new destinations in the
North East and
South India
South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...
by the end of the year. However, increasing fuel prices forced GoAir to cut down the existing number of flights in June 2008.
In January 2009,
British Airways
British Airways plc (BA) is the flag carrier of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London, England, near its main Airline hub, hub at Heathrow Airport.
The airline is the second largest UK-based carrier, based on fleet size and pass ...
was interested in buying a stake in the airline. In November 2009, GoAir entered into talks with Indian airline
SpiceJet
SpiceJet is an Indian low-cost airline headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, India. , it is the fourth largest airline in India by number of domestic passengers carried, with a market share of 4% and connects 73 destinations, including 60 Indi ...
over a possible merger, but the discussions ended without a deal. In April 2012, GoAir became the fifth largest airline in India in terms of market share following the demise of
Kingfisher Airlines
Kingfisher Airlines Limited was an airline group based in India. It was established in 2003 and started its commercial operations in 2005. Through its parent company United Breweries Group, it had a 50% stake in low-cost carrier Kingfisher Red. ...
. In 2013, the airline appointed investment bank
JP Morgan
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (stylized as JPMorganChase) is an American multinational finance corporation headquartered in New York City and incorporated in Delaware. It is the largest bank in the United States, and the world's largest bank by mar ...
to scout for potential investors.
The airline's growth was slow compared to other airlines established around the same time, such as
IndiGo
InterGlobe Aviation Limited (d/b/a IndiGo), is an India, Indian airline headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, India. It is the largest List of airlines of India, airline in India by passengers carried and fleet size, with a 64.1% domestic market ...
and SpiceJet, which had larger market shares, fleet sizes, and more destinations served by 2016. According to the airline, it was a planned strategy due to the tough aviation environment in India, focusing on maintaining profitability rather than capturing market share or increasing the number of destinations and fleet size.
In February 2016, it was the fifth-largest carrier in the country with an 8% market share. The airline was planning an
initial public offering
An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investm ...
in 2016. It took delivery of its 20th aircraft in June 2016, making it eligible to operate international flights.
GoAir became the sixth Indian domestic carrier to fly internationally when it launched its inaugural flight to
Phuket
Phuket (; , , or ''Tongkah'') is one of the Southern Thailand, southern Provinces of Thailand, provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, List of islands of Thailand, the country's largest island, and another 3 ...
from
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
on 11 October 2018.
On 17 March 2020, amidst the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, GoAir suspended all its international flights. On 13 May 2021, GoAir was rebranded as Go First.
In 2021, the airline once again planned to launch an IPO to raise .
In 2023, the airline faced operational issues, resulting in the cancellation of multiple flights. The airline claimed to have been largely impacted by supply chain issues with
Pratt & Whitney PW1000G
The Pratt & Whitney PW1000G family, also marketed as the Pratt & Whitney GTF (geared turbofan), is a family of high-bypass geared turbofan engines produced by Pratt & Whitney. The various models can generate 15,000 to 33,000 Pound (force), pounds ...
engines, which power its entire fleet of
A320neo
The Airbus A320neo family is an incremental development of the A320 family of narrow-body airliners produced by Airbus.
The A320neo family (''neo'' being Greek for "new", as well as an acronym for "new engine option") is based on the enhance ...
aircraft. Subsequently, the airline filed for voluntary insolvency resolution before the
National Company Law Tribunal
The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) is a quasi-judicial body in India that adjudicates issues relating to Indian companies. The tribunal, established under the Companies Act 2013, was constituted on 1 June 2016 by the government of India a ...
(NCLT) on 2 May 2023.
The airline also sued
Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of RTX Corporation (formerly Raytheon Technologies). Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially ...
in a
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
federal court, seeking to enforce an arbitral award directing the supply of engines as contracted. Pratt & Whitney disputed these claims.
The airline sought interim directions from NCLT to continue functioning and requested restrictions on any adverse regulatory action, but this was denied. Owing to non-payment of rental dues, leasing companies repossessed the airline's leased planes. On 26 June 2023, the airline's creditors approved an interim financing of aimed at returning it to operation, pending board approval. In mid-August 2023, the airline sought emergency funding of to keep itself afloat. On 13 February 2024, it was announced that Go First had received a 60-day extension for its insolvency resolution process, allowing potential investors to submit their proposals for the carrier's revival. This was the second extension given to Go First, and also the last one it could expect. The airline attracted interest from multiple investors, including SpiceJet.
As of February 2024,
Ajay Singh, the Chairman and Managing Director of
SpiceJet
SpiceJet is an Indian low-cost airline headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, India. , it is the fourth largest airline in India by number of domestic passengers carried, with a market share of 4% and connects 73 destinations, including 60 Indi ...
, along with
Nishant Pitti, majority stakeholder of Busy Bee Airways and co-founder of
EaseMyTrip, submitted a bid for GoFirst amounting to . The total dues of Go First—including claims from vendors and lessors—were pegged at , which they planned to pay off by 'monetising' two land parcel owned by Go First in Mumbai. According to the bid, Nishant Pitti would hold a majority stake of 60%, with the remaining shares held by Ajay Singh. They planned to start operations using 15 aircraft. There was also another bidder for the airline,
Sharjah
Sharjah (; ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It is the capital of the Emirate of Sharjah and forms part of the D ...
-based Sky One FZE.
On 1 May 2024, the
Directorate General of Civil Aviation deregistered all 54 aircraft leased to Go First following a
Delhi High Court
The High Court of Delhi ( Hindustani: दिल्ली उच्च न्यायालय; ''dillī uchcha nyāyālaya'') is the high court in Delhi, India. It was established on 31 October 1966, through the ''Delhi High Court Act, 1966. ...
order issued on 26 April. After filing for bankruptcy in May 2023, the lessors of these aircraft have since been engaged in a fierce battle with the former owner of the airline, lenders, and the resolution professional to regain control of their aircraft.
Corporate affairs
The airline was headquartered in the Wadia International Center in
Worli
Worli (ISO 15919, ISO: ''Varaḷī'', Help:IPA/Marathi, �əɾ(ə)ɭiː is a locality in central Mumbai in Maharashtra, India. It is one of the four peninsulas of Mumbai with the others being Colaba, Bandra and Malabar Hill. The sea connect ...
,
Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
.
Jehangir Wadia served as the managing director of the airline from its inception until his resignation in 2021.
In April 2016, Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, the
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization.
CEOs find roles in variou ...
of the airline, also became the joint Managing Director. Kaushik Khona was appointed as the CEO in August 2020, and stepped down from the position in November 2023.
Livery
GoAir aircraft were painted in various colour schemes, such as blue and pink, with the logo on the tail. In 2011, the airline announced that all its aircraft would be converted to a new, uniform, grey colour scheme.
On 13 May 2021, GoAir was rebranded as Go First, with a new blue colour scheme and livery.
Destinations
In March 2020, Go First operated a network of 39 destinations—29 domestic and 10 international—with 325 daily flights. In June 2016, GoAir became eligible for international operations.
The airline commenced its first international operations on 11 October 2018 with a flight from Delhi to Phuket.
Fleet
Former fleet
Prior to ceasing operations, Go First operated an all
Airbus A320
The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus.
The A320 was launched in March 1984, Maiden flight, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France.
The first membe ...
fleet: However, by May 2024, the DGCA initiated the deregistration process.
Fleet development
In June 2011, Go First placed an order for 72
Airbus A320neo
The Airbus A320neo family is an incremental development of the A320 family of narrow-body airliners produced by Airbus.
The A320neo family (''neo'' being Greek for "new", as well as an acronym for "new engine option") is based on the Airbus A3 ...
aircraft worth . In December 2015,
Airbus
Airbus SE ( ; ; ; ) is a Pan-European aerospace corporation. The company's primary business is the design and manufacturing of commercial aircraft but it also has separate Airbus Defence and Space, defence and space and Airbus Helicopters, he ...
announced that the deliveries of Go First’s A320neo aircraft would be delayed by three months due to technical issues, with deliveries expected by the second quarter of the financial year 2015–16. Deliveries began in 2016, with an induction rate of 12–15 aircraft per year.
Go First received its first A320neo aircraft on 1 June 2016.
In July 2016, Go First signed a memorandum of understanding with
Airbus
Airbus SE ( ; ; ; ) is a Pan-European aerospace corporation. The company's primary business is the design and manufacturing of commercial aircraft but it also has separate Airbus Defence and Space, defence and space and Airbus Helicopters, he ...
for 72
Airbus A320neo
The Airbus A320neo family is an incremental development of the A320 family of narrow-body airliners produced by Airbus.
The A320neo family (''neo'' being Greek for "new", as well as an acronym for "new engine option") is based on the Airbus A3 ...
aircraft valued at , potentially increasing the total number of orders to 144. The deal was announced at the
Farnborough Airshow
The Farnborough International Airshow is a trade exhibition for the aerospace and defence industries, where civilian and military aircraft are demonstrated to potential customers and investors in Farnborough, Hampshire. Since its first show in ...
.
When the airline ceased operations in 2023, it had 26 aircraft operational, while the other 28 aircraft were grounded due to engine issues with
Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of RTX Corporation (formerly Raytheon Technologies). Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially ...
.
On 1 May 2024, following a
Delhi High Court
The High Court of Delhi ( Hindustani: दिल्ली उच्च न्यायालय; ''dillī uchcha nyāyālaya'') is the high court in Delhi, India. It was established on 31 October 1966, through the ''Delhi High Court Act, 1966. ...
order, the DGCA deregistered all 54 leased aircraft belonging to Go Air.
Services
As a budget airline, Go First did not provide complimentary meals aboard flights but offered
buy on board
In commercial aviation, buy on board (BoB) is a system in which in-flight food or beverages are not included in the ticket price but are purchased on board or ordered in advance as an optional extra during or after the booking process. Some a ...
in-flight meal options. The airline published an
in-flight magazine
An inflight magazine (or in-flight magazine) is a free magazine distributed via the seats of an airplane, by an airline company, or in an airport lounge.
Overview
Many airlines offer in-flight magazines to provide details about their fleet, a ...
named ''Go-getter''. Go First offered a premium service, ''Go Business,'' at a higher fare, which provided extra services such as seats with greater legroom, free meals, increased baggage allowance, and priority boarding. In 2011, it launched its
frequent flyer programme called ''Go Club'', offering benefits like lounge access and free upgrade to ''Go Business''. New membership was discontinued in February 2014.
Accolades
Go First was rated as the "Best Domestic Airline For Excellence in Quality and Efficient Service" by the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association in 2008. In 2011, the airline was named the "Best Performing Airline" in Asia and Africa amongst all Airbus A320 operators by
Airbus
Airbus SE ( ; ; ; ) is a Pan-European aerospace corporation. The company's primary business is the design and manufacturing of commercial aircraft but it also has separate Airbus Defence and Space, defence and space and Airbus Helicopters, he ...
, based on fleet utilisation and other performance metrics.
See also
*
List of defunct airlines of India
*
Transport in India
Transport in India consists of transport by land, water and air. Road transport is the primary mode of transport for most Indian citizens, and India's road transport systems are among the most heavily used in the world.
India's road network i ...
References
External links
*
{{Airlines of India
Defunct airlines of India
Airlines established in 2005
Airlines disestablished in 2023
Defunct low-cost airlines
Companies based in Mumbai
Indian companies established in 2005
2023 disestablishments in India
Wadia Group
2005 establishments in Maharashtra
Insolvent companies