Go First faces potential pilot exodus amidst controversial DGCA rule

File image of a parked Go First aircraft

Discord has erupted from pilots employed by troubled budget carrier Go First over alleged “mis-interpretation” of the National Company Law Tribunal’s recent moratorium, as per reports.

The NCLT has last week granted the airline an interim moratorium as it sought voluntary insolvency. This moratorium prevents lessors, lenders, vendors, airports, and the regulator from taking any adverse actions against the airline, such as seizing aircraft or suspending fuel supply. It also directs the interim resolution professional to ensure that there are no employee retrenchments during this period.

However, pilots argue that CEO Kaushik Khona has misrepresented the court order in a recent town hall when he said it protects the airline from releasing pilots. Employees say this interpretation is a “deliberate misinterpretation” of the court decision, as per a report by the Hindu.

Cockpit crew are leaving the airline for better offers after months of delayed salaries and pending dues. However, a contentious rule imposed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has left the cockpit crew feeling frustrated and helpless, the Hindu reported.

The rule in question mandates a one-year notice period for commanders and six months for first officers, preventing them from immediately securing new jobs. Failure to comply with this rule may be seen as acting against public interest, potentially leading to flight cancellations and passenger inconvenience.

Pilots argue that this rule is lopsided and heavily favours airlines, and they believe that the DGCA should not interfere in employee-employer matters, particularly when it fails to protect pilots' interests, such as ensuring timely salary payments, as per Deccan Herald's report.

Concerns have also been raised by the Federation of Indian Pilots, who sent a letter to Union Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia, expressing their members' grievances, Deccan Herald reported. "Go First is refusing to issue no objection certificates (NOC), experience certificates, no dues certificate and attestation of logbooks (in spite of it being a statutory requirement) to pilots who resigned earlier or more recently," the letter said.

In 2017, various pilot unions, including the Federation of Pilots, approached the Delhi High Court to contest the controversial DGCA rule. As a result, the court granted an interim stay on the implementation of the rule in July 2018 and restricted the DGCA from taking coercive actions against pilots.

The next hearing regarding this matter is expected to take place on May 17, where the contractual obligations of both pilots and employers will be examined. The pilot unions have called for the government to issue guidelines that align with global practices, allowing pilots to serve notice periods of no more than one to three months.