Go First (GOW, Mumbai International) anticipates receiving an additional INR2.1 billion rupees (USD25.7 million dollars) from the Indian government this month via the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) according to CEO Kaushik Khona.

In an interview with the Press Trust of India agency, Khona said the funds would be used to shore up the airline's financial position and expand operations. In December, ch-aviation reported that Go First would also receive INR5.1 billion (USD62.4 million) from its owners, the Wadia Group, over calendar 2023. As part of that promised funding flow, Wadia promptly injected INR2.1 billion rupees (USD25.7 million) into the airline, an amount to be matched by the Indian government.

The airline, which posted an INR18.1 billion (USD221.4 million) loss in the 12 months to March 31, 2022, has received considerable financial support in recent years, including over INR6 billion (USD73.4 million) from the ECLGS. Go First had been heavily impacted by Covid-19 and Pratt & Whitney engine supply issues but Khona said the airline's position was now more "stable" and that the engine supply problem was "gradually" resolving, adding that he expects 20 engines by April.

The CEO says Go First has 37 aircraft operating, including five A320-200s and thirty-two A320-200Ns. The neo aircraft use the Pratt & Whitney PW1000 engine type and a shortage of engine spares has forced the airline to ground many of its planes, with the ch-aviation fleets module indicating that 21 Go First A320neo remain on the ground. Khona says those 20 additional engines will help get ten aircraft back in the air.

He said Go First's operational aircraft were now flying an average of 14.20 hours daily across 6.5 sectors. Advance bookings for February were looking solid at 51%. Airbus continues to deliver the more than eighty A320-200Ns still on order at a steady pace, including one in late January, with a further two due in February, three in March, and one in April. Between April 30, 2023, and March 31, 2024, another nine A320-200Ns are expected to arrive. All up, with the aid of the ECLGS and Wadia Group funding, Shona says he expects to be operating 53 aircraft by the end of April 2023 and offering around 400 flights a day.