As Go First crew faces uncertainty, Air India and IndiGo witness surge in applications

From regularly operating flights till the beginning of the week, Go First has been pull off runways till May 12, after it extended the suspension of flights twice. But further uncertainty has clouded its future, as lessors of 20 aircraft have approached DGCA to deregister the planes, while Go First's fleet is already hit by an engine shortage.

As crew members look for new opportunities to leave Go First before the crisis worsens, Air India and IndiGo has witnessed a surge in applications from pilots.

Exodus from Go First?

• A large number of aviators who operate the Airbus A320, which makes up a bulk of Go First's fleet, forced Air India to extend its walk-in interviews.

• The interviews were scheduled for Thursday in Gurugram, but pilots arrived on Friday as well, as Air India received 700 applications in a matter of days.

• A similar rise in pilots looking for opportunities was registered by leading airline IndiGo as well.

Trapped at Go First?

• But it has also been reported that GoFirst has made it difficult for its 5,000 crew members to leave and join another airline.

• The embattled carrier has refused to grant early release for those who wish to jump ship after Go First announced bankruptcy.

• Air India, which has been scaling up its workforce to mitigate flight cancellations and delays caused by a crew crunch, also hosted walk-ins in Bengaluru and Mumbai.