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Plane neglect: Go gets notice
Delhi HC issued notices to Go First's Resolution Professional and DGCA over inadequate aircraft maintenance by lessors. Court to issue guidelines on maintenance on 19 Sept.
New Delhi: The Delhi high court on Wednesday issued notices to Go First’s Resolution Professional (RP) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in response to pleas filed by aircraft lessors regarding inadequate aircraft maintenance.
BOC Aviation (Ireland) Ltd, ACG Aircraft Leasing Ireland, and DAE 13 Ireland Designated Activity Co. submitted new applications after discovering their parked aircraft in poor condition during inspections.
While asking the RP to file a response within four days, the court also said it will be issuing guidelines on maintenance of the aircraft on 19 September.
However, the HC clarified that it does not intend to modify or seek clarifications on the lessors’ maintenance plea, but the directions will apply to all lessors of Go First, to prevent the filing of new applications.
BOC informed the HC that their planes were in deplorable condition, with issues such as poor maintenance of landing gear and main body. The planes were not only dirty, but it found the presence of algae during inspection due to accumulation of water as the planes were not covered during unusual rains. BOC said that it found scratches on the panels and the signs of subpar maintenance were evident.
BOC further informed the court that their aircraft were in long-term storage in Coonoor even before the moratorium, and the engines were removed as no flight was operated since December 2022, which is only adding to deteriorating condition of their planes.
In a separate submission, ACG raised concerns over key components missing in the leased planes, such as fan blades and urged Go Airline to replace all the missing parts immediately.
The lessors also expressed their surprise regarding the RP, a finance professional with limited fund, being responsible for maintenance of lessors’ aircraft while retaining control over their assets.
According to the counsel appearing for the lessors , the RP may argue that he intends to retain these aircraft until the insolvency matter is resolved, but, it does not justify allowing the planes to disintegrate.
In an interim order passed in July, a single judge bench of the Delhi high court had permitted the lessors to inspect the grounded planes.
The order was later upheld by a division bench of the high court and subsequently by the Supreme Court. The court will hear the case on deregistration of aircraft on 22 September.
Go First has filed for insolvency due to financial difficulties linked to Pratt and Whitney’s faulty engines. The National Company Law Tribunal accepted its plea on 10 May leading to suspension of the airline’s board and the imposition of a moratorium on its financial obligations.
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First Published:14 Sep 2023, 12:25 AM IST
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