Go First directed by the DGCA to immediately stop selling tickets

The aviation regulator said in a statement that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered the troubled Go First to halt ticket sales with immediate effect pending further instructions on Monday.

In accordance with the pertinent provisions of the Aircraft Rules, 1937, the aviation regulator has also served Go First with a show-cause notice for its failure to continue operations in a safe, effective, and dependable way.

According to DGCA, Go First has been requested to respond to the show cause notice within 15 days of receiving it. The aviation regulator stated that it will then decide whether to renew its Air Operators Certificate (AOC) based on the response it provides. The airline had earlier in the day asked the National Company of Law Tribunal (NCLT) to issue an order quickly regarding its insolvency claim. The domestic carrier announced on Friday that it will continue to stop all flights until May 12 for "operational reasons". Flights and reservations had previously been halted by the carrier until May 9.

After the airline stated that it has halted all flights until May 3, Go First filed for a voluntary insolvency proceeding before the NCLT. Last Tuesday, Go First announced that it had initiated insolvency proceedings and attributed its financial predicament to engine producer Pratt & Whitney (P&W). The domestic carrier said that it was "forced to apply to the NCLT" because "the ever-increasing number of failing engines supplied by Pratt & Whitney's International Aero Engines" resulted in the grounding of 25 aircraft, or half its fleet of Airbus A320neo jets.