Go First has a lengthy history of non-payment: Pratt & Whitney

A day after India's third-largest airline Go First filed for insolvency protection, US aerospace major Pratt & Whitney (P&W) said that the airline has a lengthy history of missing its financial obligations.

"Pratt & Whitney is committed to the success of our airline customers, and we continue to prioritise delivery schedules for all customers. PW is complying with the March 2023 arbitration ruling related to Go First," the company said in a statement.

"As this is now a matter of litigation, we will not comment further," it said.

"Go First has a lengthy history of missing its financial obligations to Pratt," it added.

On Tuesday, the cash-strapped Go First filed for bankruptcy, blaming Pratt & Whitney engines for the grounding of its fleet.

It mentioned that the decision to cancel its flights for May 3 and 4, is in response to the prolonged delays in sourcing airworthy engines from PW.

"Go First has had to take this step due to the ever-increasing number of failing engines supplied by Pratt & Whitney's International Aero Engines, LLC, which has resulted in Go First having to ground 25 aircraft (equivalent to approximately 50% of its Airbus A320neo aircraft fleet) as of 1 May 2023," the cash-strapped airlines said.

"The percentage of grounded aircraft due to Pratt & Whitney's faulty engines has grown from 7% in December 2019 to 31% in December 2020 to 50% in December 2022. This is despite Pratt & Whitney making several on-going assurances over the years, which it has repeatedly failed to meet," it added.

Expressing concern, Union Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has said that the government is ready to help the the airline in every possible manner.

"It is unfortunate that this operational bottleneck has dealt a blow to the airline's financial position. It has come to our knowledge that the airline has applied to the NCLT. It is prudent to wait for the judicial process to run its course," he said.

''Go First has been faced with critical supply chain issues with regard to their engines. The Government of India has been assisting the airline in every possible manner. The issue has also been taken up with the stakeholders involved,'' Scindia said in a statement.