MUMBAI- The Wadia Group-backed, Go First, previously known as Go Air shut its operations last year has invaluable airport slots that will be up for a grab, and carriers like Air India (AI), IndiGo (6E), and Akasa Air (QP) may bid to get them.
According to a report by Mint, the Civil Aviation Ministry is likely to set up a panel to oversee the distribution of these unused slots fairly and transparently. The committee, to be headed by the Airports Authority of India’s (AAI) executive director of operations, will include representatives from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), airlines, and defense authorities.
Go First Airport Slots
One of the oldest low-cost carriers in the country faced multiple issues including the grounding of planes due to faulty Pratt and Whitney engines, financial troubles, significant competition from rivals, and the impact of a pandemic. All these factors led to the permanent grounding of Go First.
Go First, in May 2023, a month it suspended operations had 54 aircraft operating over 300 daily flights to 36 destinations including 27 domestic and nine international. The list of all the destinations is provided at the end of this article.
The Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines (WASG) define an airport slot as authorization from a coordinator to utilize the required airport infrastructure for arrival or departure at a Level 3 airport on a specific date and time.
In simple words its a permission to use the airport at a specific time. For Example, if Air India wants to operate a 7 AM IST flight from Mumbai for say next 6 months to anywhere, it needs to apply for a morning slot for a specific time and date.
India is the fastest-growing aviation market in the world according to OAG data. This year it overtook Brazil and Indonesia to become the third-biggest aviation market globally.
So getting domestic slots here is like a golden ticket to improve operations and increase revenue, especially on key metro-to-metro routes during peak travel seasons. Air India and IndiGo dominate the metro routes, with Air India leading with a 55% market share.
Same Fate as Jet Airways
Government officials told Mint that the reallocation will provide opportunities for airlines, including regional carriers, to strengthen their operational networks.
The slot redistribution follows a precedent set after Jet Airways’ grounding in 2019 when 810 airport slots were distributed among competing airlines.
IndiGo and SpiceJet each received 130 slots, while other carriers like Vistara, Air Asia, and Air India were allocated smaller portions.
List of Go First Destinations:
All Domestic Destinations Go First Once Served
| State/Union Territory | City | Airport | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andaman and Nicobar Islands | Port Blair | Veer Savarkar International Airport | – |
| Assam | Guwahati | Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport | – |
| Bihar | Patna | Jay Prakash Narayan Airport | – |
| Chandigarh | Chandigarh | Chandigarh Airport | – |
| Chhattisgarh | Raipur | Raipur Airport | Terminated |
| Delhi | Delhi | Indira Gandhi International Airport | Base |
| Goa | Dabolim/Manohar International Airport | – | – |
| Gujarat | Ahmedabad | Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport | – |
| Gujarat | Surat | Surat Airport | Terminated |
| Jammu and Kashmir | Jammu | Jammu Airport | – |
| Jammu and Kashmir | Srinagar | Srinagar Airport | – |
| Jharkhand | Ranchi | Birsa Munda Airport | – |
| Karnataka | Bangalore | Kempegowda International Airport | Base |
| Karnataka | Mangalore | Mangalore International Airport | Terminated |
| Kerala | Kannur | Kannur International Airport | Base |
| Kerala | Kochi | Cochin International Airport | – |
| Ladakh | Leh | Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport | – |
| Madhya Pradesh | Indore | Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport | Terminated |
| Maharashtra | Mumbai | Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport | Base |
| Maharashtra | Nagpur | Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport | – |
| Maharashtra | Nanded | Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Airport | Terminated |
| Maharashtra | Pune | Pune Airport | – |
| Mizoram | Aizawl | Lengpui Airport | Terminated |
| Odisha | Bhubaneswar | Biju Patnaik Airport | Terminated |
| Punjab | Amritsar | Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport | – |
| Rajasthan | Jaipur | Jaipur International Airport | – |
| Tamil Nadu | Chennai | Chennai International Airport | – |
| Tamil Nadu | Coimbatore | Coimbatore International Airport | Terminated |
| Telangana | Hyderabad | Rajiv Gandhi International Airport | – |
| Uttarakhand | Dehradun | Dehradun Airport | – |
| Uttar Pradesh | Lucknow | Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport | – |
| Uttar Pradesh | Varanasi | Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport | – |
| West Bengal | Siliguri | Bagdogra Airport | – |
| West Bengal | Kolkata | Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport | Base |
Go First International Destinations:
| Country | City | Airport | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kuwait | Kuwait City | Kuwait International Airport | – |
| Maldives | Malé | Velana International Airport | Seasonal, Later terminated |
| Nepal | Kathmandu | Tribhuvan International Airport | – |
| Oman | Muscat | Muscat International Airport | – |
| Saudi Arabia | Dammam | King Fahd International Airport | – |
| Sri Lanka | Colombo | Bandaranaike International Airport | Terminated |
| Thailand | Bangkok | Suvarnabhumi Airport | – |
| Thailand | Phuket | Phuket International Airport | – |
| United Arab Emirates | Abu Dhabi | Abu Dhabi International Airport | – |
| United Arab Emirates | Dubai | Dubai International Airport | – |
The most valuable slots are from Dubai, Phuket, and Bangkok. I think Akasa Air can bid for Dubai slots as it aims to operate flights to Venice of the Gulf but cannot do it due to limited bilateral rights.
Feature Image by Harsh Tekriwal | AvgeekwithLens
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