E-Paper
Go First diverts three flights to Gujarat, cancels eight
Flight G8287 from Srinagar to Mumbai, scheduled to arrive in Mumbai at 5.55 pm, was the first to be diverted to Surat. Flight G8350 from Varanasi to Mumbai, scheduled to land in Mumbai at 6.10 pm, was the next to be diverted to Ahmedabad. Flight G8336 from Delhi to Mumbai, slated to arrive at 6.40 pm, was also diverted to Surat airport. All three flights almost reached Mumbai Airport and did go-arounds before diverting to Surat, showed the flight data from the flightradar24.com, a real-time flight monitoring website.
MUMBAI: On the day the Wadia Group’s airline Go First filed for bankruptcy proceedings before the National Company Law Tribunal, the airline’s three flights to Mumbai on Monday evening were diverted to Ahmedabad and Surat, reportedly due to congestion at Mumbai Airport which was shut for six hours for pre-monsoon repair and maintenance work.
Flight G8287 from Srinagar to Mumbai, scheduled to arrive in Mumbai at 5.55 pm, was the first to be diverted to Surat. Flight G8350 from Varanasi to Mumbai, scheduled to land in Mumbai at 6.10 pm, was the next to be diverted to Ahmedabad. Flight G8336 from Delhi to Mumbai, slated to arrive at 6.40 pm, was also diverted to Surat airport. All three flights almost reached Mumbai Airport and did go-arounds before diverting to Surat, showed the flight data from the flightradar24.com, a real-time flight monitoring website.
According to Surat Airport director Rupesh Kumar, the Srinagar-Mumbai flight landed at Surat at 6.25 pm, followed by the Delhi-Mumbai one at 6.40 pm. “Passengers remained seated inside the flight, and both flights departed for Mumbai after 9.30 pm,” he told HT.
“Boarded Go First Delhi-Mumbai G8336, which diverted to Surat. Long day post work and no response regarding Expected Time of Arrival (ETA). Unnecessary delay and hassle. It’s hard earned taxpayer’s time they are playing with,” tweeted passenger Gurjeet Kaur from Surat Airport, tagging civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia. “My ticket for 5th May 2023 is cancelled by Go First but no refund in sight. It’s the hardworking middle-class tax payer suffering and the government rules,” said the Delhi-based passenger.
Although congestion for arrivals at Mumbai Airport was cited as the reason for diversion, a Mumbai Airport statement said, “The runway work started at 1100 hrs today and after careful assessment & evaluation, both runways - RWY 14/32 & 09/27 are operational for all flight movements from 1700hrs.”
The world’s busiest single-runway airport, the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, announced the pre-monsoon maintenance shutdown three weeks ago. The repair work involves repairs of cracks, disjoints, and texture of the runway—which sees 950 daily aircraft movements—servicing of 5,000 aeronautical ground lights on runways and taxiways and repainting of 1,300 ground markings which provides directional guidance to aircraft.
Earlier on Monday, Go First had announced cancellation of all its flights for operational reasons on May 3, 4, and 5 and assured passengers of a full refund of their cancelled tickets. Later in the day, the airline filed an application under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, stating that it had to ground nearly 25 aircraft due to faulty engines, which US manufacturer Pratt and Whitney had assured them they would replace but had not done so, impacting operations.
Though the flight cancellations were scheduled to begin from Wednesday, the airline cancelled at least eight flights after the three diversions on Monday evening. Flights slated to arrive from Ahmedabad, Goa, Delhi, Nagpur, Cochin, Lucknow, Bengaluru, and Chandigarh between 7.45 pm and 12 midnight were cancelled, the flightradar24.com data indicated.