NEW DELHI: In a major step to restart Go First , aviation regulator DGCA will conduct a special audit of the grounded airline’s facilities in Delhi and Mumbai from July 4 to 6 before approving the revival plan for the resumption of flights.
A senior official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday said that after a preliminary review of the resumption plan submitted by the Resolution Professional (RP) for Go First on June 28, the aviation sector regulator has planned to conduct a special audit.
“The special audit to be conducted from July 4 to 6 shall be focused on the safety-related aspects and continued compliance of the requirements to hold an Air Operator Certificate, as well as on physical verification of the arrangements made for the resumption of flight operations,” the official said.
Cash-strapped Go First’s former CEO Kaushik Kona and its newly appointed resolution professional (RP) Shailendra Ajmera, on Wednesday met with Directorate General of Civil Aviation officials to get a green signal for their revival plan as the airline aims to restart operations as soon as possible.
The crisis-hit airline has intended to restart flights with 22 aircraft in fleet and keep another four in reserve. Go First intends to start 157 flights on 78 routes. Last week, the lenders of the airline such as Bank of India, Bank of Baroda and IDBI Bank gave an in-principle nod for `450 crore interim financing to meet the day-to-day operational expenses.
Go First, owned by the Wadia Group, had declared insolvency on May 2 and stopped flying from May 3 owing to a severe cash crunch caused by the grounding of over half of its fleet. Its application was admitted by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on May 10.