P & W pledges engines delivery to GoFirst soon

Engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney has promised delivery of serviceable engines to low-cost carrier GoFirst soon and the same will be immediately put into service within December, the airline said .

The airline’s flight operations have been impacted over the past few months as several aircraft remain on ground due to non-availability of Pratt & Whitney engines which power its Airbus A320 fleet. As a result, more than 25 aircraft out of its total fleet of 60 aircraft are grounded currently.

“With the induction of many serviceable engines, GO FIRST expects to increase the frequency and number of flights to provide improved connectivity to its passengers and to regain its market share," the airline said.

GoFirst market share as of October stood at 7pc in domestic aviation market as against 9.9pc in January, as per data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

The airline added that its chairman Varun Berry is optimistic on the improvement in the performance of the company with Pratt & Whitney providing engines.

The airline has also inducted its 55th fuel-efficient A320neo today. The Wadia Group-run airline has a firm orderbook of 144 Airbus A320neo aircraft and has inducted 55 of these so far. It also 5 Airbus A320ceo. The airline had inducted its 54the A320neo in October after a gap of nearly 1.5 months.

“This is a milestone that reflects our growth as we continue to expand and advance amidst the uncertain supply chain across the industry," Mr. Kaushik Khona, Chief Executive Officer, GO FIRST said.

-B