De-register 54 GoAir Planes - Delhi High Court to DGCA

The Delhi High Court has instructed the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) to handle requests from multiple aircraft lessors of Go First Airline to de-register their planes within five working days. The court's decision affects 54 aircraft owned by these lessors.

Previously, the DGCA had rejected de-registration applications from the lessors in May last year. The court has now overturned this decision, ordering the DGCA to process the applications promptly.

Additionally, the court has directed that all maintenance tasks for the aircraft should be managed by the lessors until they are deregistered and exported, as per the Aircraft Rules. The Airport Authority of India and DGCA are instructed to assist the lessors and grant them access to the airports where the aircraft are parked.

The court has prohibited the resolution professional of Go Air, the airline, along with its directors, from accessing or operating the aircraft.

Furthermore, the court has permitted the lessors to export the aircraft in accordance with the relevant aviation regulation and laws. The DGCA is required to facilitate the export by providing the necessary documents, including the export certificate of airworthiness.

With these directives, the court has resolved the batch of petitions submitted by the lessors seeking de-registration of their aircraft fleet.

Previously, Justice Ganju had allowed lessors to conduct inspections and maintenance tasks on 30 aircraft until their petitions were decided. This decision was challenged by the RP, but a division bench later permitted maintenance tasks to proceed. Regulatory Compliance was enforced by both tribunals to manage the airline's financial challenges.

On May 10, 2023, the National Company Law Tribunal imposed a moratorium on the Wadia Group airline's financial obligations and the recovery of aircraft by lessors. This decision was upheld by the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal on April 22.