LONDON – Indian low-cost carrier Go First has been facing turbulence in past few days. The airline had to ground three of its aircraft on Tuesday, and another fresh incident was reported yesterday.
Whereas DGCA has said that it is investigating all these incidents and all aircraft involved in these incidents will only be released once a DGCA officer has given clearance.
2 in-flight engine issues & a rejected takeoff
On Tuesday, two Go First flights had to be diverted due to engine issues which were identified mid-air, and another had to reject take-off after spotting a dog on the active runway.
Go First flight from Mumbai –Leh (G8 386) was diverted to Delhi International airport. This route was operated by an A320neo registered as VT-WGA. This aircraft was 6.3 years old and was originally delivered to Go First (formerly known as Go Air).
While the flight was halfway to its destination the PIC decided to divert the flight due to Engine No.2 EIU (Engine Interface Unit) fault. In another similar incident on the same day, 19 July, another Go First flight from Srinagar – Del had to return to its departure airport soon after take-off.
The aircraft involved in this incident was also an A320neo which was just 3.5 years old at the time of this incident, this aircraft was originally delivered to Go First airline. On this flight the PIC decided to return to the base airport as soon after take-off engine No.2 “Overload” warning sounded.
In a statement regarding these incident DGCA said “We are investigating and in the meanwhile, both these aircraft are being grounded and shall fly only when cleared by DGCA.”
Cracked windshield
In another incident G8 151 flying from Delhi – Guwahati had to be diverted to Jaipur Airport. In this incident soon after take-off the windshield of the aircraft cracked. The PIC took a decision to divert to Jaipur instead of returning to Delhi International Airport.
The decision was made because at the time of take-off Delhi had heavy rainfall which would complicate things further if they would have attempted to land there with a cracked windshield.
Go First issued a statement soon after the incident which read:
“The Pilot in Command was a very well-experienced pilot and a qualified TRI and handled the issue quite diligently and with maturity and due to the weather in Delhi he took a precautionary measure and diverted the aircraft to Jaipur.”
“The passengers are being accommodated on the alternate aircraft from Jaipur to Guwahati and due care is being taken for their comfort and convenience.”
“At Go First, the safety of passengers and crew is of paramount importance and we lay utmost emphasis on providing a safe environment for our passengers. We regret the inconvenience caused to the guests and their families.”
DGCA said that when it conducted spot check on 18 July, it was found that several aircraft were being released for take-off by an insufficient number of AME present.
Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has held multiple meetings with airlines and officials from his ministry and the DGCA over the last three days.
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