GoAir offers its aircraft, crew, airport staff to govt for emergency services

GoAir on Friday said it has offered government its aircraft, crew and airport staff to carry out emergency services and repatriation of citizens, two days after another low-cost carrier IndiGo made a similar offer.

Currently, while there is a ban on international and domestic passenger flights in the country, all-cargo flights can operate as usual, according to aviation regulator DGCA.

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However, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is yet to give permission to airlines to conduct flights using their commercial passenger aircraft with just cargo in their belly.

India has suspended domestic passenger flights from midnight on March 24 and all international flights from 1.30 am on March 23.

"GoAir has reached out to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the DGCA and offered its services in the wake of a complete lockdown across the nation," the airline said in a press release.

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"The Wadia-Group controlled low-cost carrier has offered its aircraft, pilots, cabin crew and airport staff to carry out emergency services and repatriation of citizens," it noted.

The letter submitted by GoAir to the Union Civil Aviation Ministry offers the following services -- ship cargo on behalf of the government, ship essential services such as medicines, food grains and ship manpower who would carry out the emergency services such as doctors, nurses, para medics and relief workers.

According to GoAir, in the letter, it has also offered to repatriate Indian citizens who are stuck overseas, repatriate expats in our country back to their base countries and repatriate Indian citizens within our various states and union territories.