New Delhi
The Delhi High Court ordered the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to immediately process deregistration applications from several lessors seeking to retrieve 54 planes from the troubled airline Go First. The court stated that the DGCA must complete the process within five working days. Justice Tara Vitasta Ganju also restricted the resolution professional managing the airline from moving or removing any aircraft, spare parts, or documents.
The court directed the DGCA to assist the lessors and provide them with access to airports for exporting the aircraft in accordance with relevant laws. The DGCA must issue export certificates and other necessary documents to facilitate the process.
The high court’s ruling follows petitions by several lessors who sought deregistration of their planes to reclaim them from Go First, which is undergoing insolvency proceedings. The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) previously admitted Go First’s voluntary insolvency resolution petition, leading to a moratorium on financial obligations and asset transfers, which hindered the lessors from reclaiming their aircraft.
After the court’s verdict, some respondents asked to delay the implementation, but the judge denied the request, stating that they should seek a different court if they want to contest the ruling. The lessors had earlier argued that the DGCA’s denial of deregistration was “illegitimate.” The court’s decision allows them to proceed with taking back the aircraft from Go First.
