GoAir evacuates stranded students from Kashmir; helps in relief and rescue work

GoAir operated a special charter flight this morning from Leh to Delhi to evacuate 151 students stranded in Jammu & Kashmir.
The flight G8-192 carrying these children left Leh at 8:55 am and landed at Delhi airport at 10.25 am today. The flight was co-ordinated by DGCA and the Leh District Administration. The students were carried free of any charge.
The students, who belong to the National Institute of Technology, expressed relief on reaching Delhi. One of the student said, "We thank GoAir for the rescue and bringing us to Delhi. We really faced a difficult time in the last few days and hope to see our families soon."

GoAir Refutes Claim It Was Charging Extra To Carry Relief Supplies

New Delhi: Following allegations from a volunteer travelling with medical supplies to flood hit state of Jammu and Kashmir that GoAir was charging extra for carrying relief supplies, the air carrier has refuted the claim and has has said that it was a misunderstanding.

GoAir, saying that the allegations were false, asserted that it had already carried almost 100 kgs worth of extra baggage without charging anything extra. The airline also insisted that it had offered free cargo services to the relief organisations working on the J&K situation. In a statement, the company said, “There is a blanket order from the CEO’s office to waive off excess baggage charges for all flights to and from J&K.”

GoAir to give 30% concession to residents of Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Port Blair:  Private airline GoAir today announced 30 per cent concession on base fare of its flights operating to and from Port Blair throughout the year for residents of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

"It is indeed very satisfying to make our humble contribution in the development of Port Blair ... by connecting it to several Indian cities on the mainland," GoAir Vice President (Airports, Customer Services & Nodal Officer) Kamal Kikani said here.
"There is an immense scope to increase tourist traffic to the islands leading to the development of the local economy, employment opportunities, support services and quality of life in general," he told a press conference.

Kerala Tourism inks MoU with GoAir

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Tourism Thursday inked an MoU with budget air-carrier GoAir, which has agreed to offer exclusive discounted fares to tourists visiting the state.

There was a symbiotic relation between aviation and tourism industries and there was already an agreement with Jet Airways, which brings in tourists to Kerala at discounted rates, Kerala Tourism secretary Suman Billa said here.

"Through this arrangement both parties benefit and we hope more airlines will come forward to have an agreement with us as it's going to be a win-win situation for both," Billa told reporters after the MoU was inked.

DGCA grounds 13 GoAir pilots, training chief

New Delhi:  The directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) has grounded 13 pilots of GoAir as the low-cost carrier (LCC) was allegedly making them fly aircraft without imparting the required training. The regulator also sacked GoAir's chief of training and issued show cause notices to the airline and also the pilots, asking them why action — which in pilots' case is grounding them for good — should not be taken against them.

GoAir flies into black, plans foreign operations and FDI

New Delhi: IndiGo, for long India's only profitable airline, now has company. The Wadia Group-owned GoAir has flown into the black and is now firming up the launch of its international operations next May, apart from getting a foreign airline as FDI partner on board shortly.

Odisha: Go Air moves to start ops from Bhubaneswar Airport

Bhubaneswar: If everything goes as per the plan fliers would be able to air connect directly in between Bhubaneswar and Bangalore within few months wait. Go Air which had expressed interest to start domestic operation from Biju Pattnaik Airport, has already started feasibility study before commencing service. However the private airliner is yet to decide a destination from either Bangalore or Mumbai airport, sources said. At present, there is no direct flight to Bangalore after Jet Airways withdrew its carrier in October. Sources said the Go Air has started the feasibility study at Biju Pattnaik Airport (domestic), which a formality for each airliner before starting operation at any airport, three days back. Basing the study which would continue for three months, the operator will give a formal go ahead to start flying.

GoAir mulls setting up MRO facility at Nagpur

Nagpur: Wadia Group-controlled GoAir today said it is mulling setting up an aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility at Nagpur, a top airline official said.

"We are looking at the new government's policy for the aviation sector before taking a final call on the MRO issue," GoAir chief executive Georgio De Roni said after announcing the second non-stop flight service to Kolkata from Nagpur, scheduled to take off from July 23.

At present, the airline operates one daily morning flight to Kolkata, which then proceeds to Patna.

GoAir achieves record 10.1% market share in June

Mumbai:  Surpassing the 10 per cent level for the first time, Wadia Group promoted GoAir achieved 10.1 per cent market share in June, the airline said on Sunday.

The airline has achieved its highest ever market share of 10.1 per cent in June, with maximum growth in the industry in terms of the number of passengers carried going up by 29.1 per cent, as compared to the same period last year, GoAir said in a release here.

"The results are a consequence of deploying additional capacity in Metro to Non-Metro routes where growth has been consistently strong. We have now more than 70 per cent of our capacity deployed on such routes with Srinagar, Pune, Goa, Nagpur and Patna being the strongest Non-Metro catchment areas," GoAir CEO Giorgio De Roni said.
Read news in full 20/07/14 Times of India

Budget carriers SpiceJet, IndiGo and GoAir roll out another sale offer starting at Rs 1,699

Mumbai: Domestic budget carriers SpiceJet, IndiGo and GoAir today rolled out another sale offer with fares starting from Rs 1,699 for a limited period on domestic routes.

The travel period for the three-day sale, which commences from today, will remain valid between August 18 and September 30.

"Indian travellers have reason to rejoice this monsoon season with a new airfare sale valid for closer dates of travel - August and September this year. SpiceJet has announced fares starting Rs 1,999, while IndiGo sales start at Rs 1,699 for select sectors," travel portal MakeMyTrip co-founder and chief executive for India Rajesh Magow said here.

GoAir in Talks to Sell Stake to Foreign Airline: CEO

New Delhi: Indian budget carrier GoAir is in talks to sell a stake to a non-Indian airline to raise funds for its expansion plans as it joins other carriers seeking to take advantage of liberalized investment rules in the South Asian nation.
"We are working on a strategic partnership with a foreign airline. We are open to giving equity," Giorgio De Roni chief executive officer of Go Airlines (India) Ltd. told The Wall Street Journal Tuesday.
Airlines in India are joining forces with non-Indian carriers after the government relaxed norms in 2012 to let foreign airlines to own up to 49% stakes in Indian aviation companies.
Jet Airways (India) Ltd. last year sold a 24% stake to Etihad Airways of Abu Dhabi. Malaysia's AirAsia 5099.KU -1.30%  Bhd last month launched a new airline in India with the Tata Group and another local partner.

GoAir confers best employee award to Kashmiri

Srinagar: A young Kashmiri Sameer Zargar of Hawal was awarded the best Customer Service Executive (CSE) in GoAir Go Further Award for Q4 FY 2013-14.
Zargar was given this award for his remarkable customer service at Leh airport.
This award is given quarterly to a team member with remarkable achievement in customer service, operational enhancement or integrity.
It is a prestigious honour that serves to recognize the best of the best within Go Air.
“I am very happy to receive this award. It is the most cherishable movement in my life and I will always remember it,” said Zargar.

GoAir to promote Kashmir for corporate tourism

GoAir in collaboration with Department of Tourism Kashmir and Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC), Srinagar has decided to promote Kashmir for Convention tourism.
In this regard, Director Tourism Kashmir Talat Parvez had earlier on June 14 met GoAir CEO Giorgio De Roni and discussed with him the strategies as to how Kashmir can be promoted for convention tourism.
Director Tourism Kashmir and Director SKICC Yasmeen Khan also meet GoAir General Manager Marketing Hemesh Shenoy on Wednesday to further discuss about promoting Kashmir across India and abroad.
“I had a meeting with CEO GoAir on June 14 where we discussed various ways to promote Kashmir for conventions in the corporate world. Kashmir is the ideal place for MICE tourism and SKICC is a wonderful property to promote convention tourism so that we receive good number people from corporate,” said Talat Parveez while having meeting with GoAir officials here at SKICC today.

Rival airlines like IndiGo, GoAir approach DGCA to deny permit to Tata-SIA Airlines

New Delhi: India's fiercely competitive airlines have teamed up to oppose the entry of another new airline.

IndiGo, Jet Airways, SpiceJetBSE 5.22 % and GoAir have asked the aviation regulator to deny an airline permit to Tata SIA Airlines Ltd, a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines. These airlines, under the banner of the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), have argued in a letter to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that foreign airlines can invest only in existing ones and not startups according to the previous government's change in policy in September 2012. The May 23 FIA letter addressed to DGCA head Prabhat Kumar has been reviewed by ET.

Cancellation of flights on second day leaves fates of hundreds in the lurch

Patna: The cloud of confusion hovered over Patna airport on the second consecutive day on Monday because of cancellation of pre-booked tickets by IndiGo and GoAir airlines.

Compared to frequent scuffles between passengers and the airlines employees as seen on Sunday, the situation seemed a bit controlled on Monday. On Sunday, IndiGo and GoAir had either cancelled pre-booked tickets, refunded or adjusted fliers on other flights following a showcause notice served on them by directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA).

Taking a strict stand on the load penalty factor at Patna airport — a situation when at least 20 per cent seats in the aircraft are required to be left unoccupied because of technical reasons to fly safely under short runway and high temperature conditions — the civil aviation regulator had on Friday served a showcause notice on the two airlines for violating the norms in Patna.

IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir reply to DGCA’s notice

New Delhi: IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir, which have been warned of stoppage of operations to airports with small runways after they were found flouting payload restrictions while flying to Jammu and Patna, replied to the notices issued by aviation regulator DGCA. Details of their responses could not be immediately known.

Officials of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) are examining the replies filed by the three no-frill carriers on the show cause notices, official sources said here. The DGCA had asked them to explain why they were carrying full-load of passengers and cargo to Patna and Jammu where they should have been flying with 20 per cent less load to ensure safe landing and take-offs on the small runways there. The airlines were also asked why their operations to these places should not be stopped as they were found to be flouting safety norms and payload restrictions.

DGCA warns IndiGo, SpiceJet, GoAir for flouting payload norms

New Delhi: Aviation regulator DGCA today took three no-frill airlines to task for allegedly flouting payload restriction norms while flying to Jammu and Patna, where the airports have short runways, and warned them of stopping their operations if they continued to carry full load of passengers.
IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir were issued notices by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) after the regulator found them violating safety norms by carrying full flights to these two airports where they should fly with 20 per cent less load, official sources said.
The regulator, whose officials carried out real-time checks on the flights of these airlines to the two cities, asked the three airlines to report back by tomorrow evening that they would not fly a fully-occupied aircraft.
The DGCA, after examining the flight manifests of these airlines for 15 days, found they were carrying 170-180 passengers, instead of 150-155 as laid down in the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for airports with smaller runways.

GoAir fliers walk to terminal due to delay of coaches

Mumbai: A number of passengers of Delhi-Mumbai GoAir Flight G8-338 walked across the tarmac from the aircraft to the terminal building on landing in Mumbai on Wednesday, as the airline coach was not available even 20 minutes after the flight had landed.

While the passengers claimed that they were led by GoAir staff, a spokesman of the airline said that after the first coach left with some passengers, subsequent coaches were delayed on account of aircraft movement on the tarmac, and some passengers who did not want to wait, began making their way to the terminal.

"Following a delay in the arrival of coaches, some unruly passengers forcefully began walking and roughed up our staff who tried to prevent them to ensure compliance of airport safety regulations," the spokesperson said.

GoAir plans to increase capacity by 21%

Mumbai, June 8: Wadia group-owned budget carrier GoAir plans to enhance capacity by 21 per cent in this fiscal by expanding its route network across metro and non-metro cities and higher aircraft utilisation.
"We are planning to increase capacity by 21 per cent, offering over 8.5 million seats in the current fiscal," GoAir chief executive Giorgio De Roni said. He said that the airline's strategy to achieve this goal is based on few pillars that constitute its "Vision 2015".
"Vision 2015 entails offering customers the most attractive and sustainable fares; high aircraft utilisation, an efficient cost structure and further strengthening of services between metro airports and tier II and tier III cities, particularly to those markets that have consistently grown at remarkable rates in the recent years," he said.
GoAir has registered a very healthy traffic growth of 12.5 and 14.6 per cent in the first two months of the 2014-15 fiscal, which helped it corner a record 9.5 per cent market share, De Roni said. This has been achieved with consistently lowest number of passenger complaints in the industry in the last fiscal along with profitable and sustainable growth, he added.