Weather in North Indian, anti-CAA protest lead to flight delays, says GoAir

The GoAir on Thursday said that flight delays and cancellation in the last three days were due to inclement weather in North India and anti-CAA protest as crew members were unable to report on duty.

"Due to inclement weather in North India, GoAir experienced extensive flight delays and diversions leading to cancellations of flights as our crew approached its Flight Duty time Limits (FDTL) in the last 2-3 days. This was further exacerbated due to the CAA protests wherein our crew members were unable to report for duty," GoAir spokesperson said in a press statement.

The statement said, "GoAir has placed an order of 144 Airbus A320neo aircraft and has experienced delivery delays during the month of November and December, adding to its Operational challenges. During the same time, non-availability of Pratt & Whitney spare engines have also hampered the smooth functioning of the airline."

"As part of the oversight process, DGCA conducts audits for all operators. GoAir has also been subject to such routine audits and will always abide by Civil Aviation Regulations as stipulated by the DGCA, including FDTL," the statement said.

The statement said, "Pratt & Whitney commercial engines have logged more than 1 billion hours of flight, powering the narrow and wide-body aircraft that fly both passengers and cargo around the world, setting new standards for performance and reliability."

In view of the recent events, GoAir will abide by and comply with the directives of DGCA and complete the modifications of Pratt & Whitney engines before January 31, 2020, the statement said.

GoAir has more than an adequate pool of cockpit crew resources to fly 325 daily flights. However, due to several external factors mentioned above, it is currently experiencing a temporary disruption to its schedule. The airline is currently working to normalize its operations with the support of its pilots and cabin crew and expects to be on track by the end of this week.

"As a responsible airline, GoAir accords highest priority to the safety of passengers and lays utmost emphasis on providing a safe environment for its passengers and employees," it added .

( With inputs from ANI )