RIGHT FROM THE WORD 'GO'

GoAir, one of the oldest carriers in the country, is planning to go Ultra Low Cost even as it inches forward to an IPO. Will it succeed in its plans? AMEYA JOSHI lists out the challenges the carrier will face.

- AMEYA JOSHI

READY, STEADY, GO...: Now that GoAir has rebranded itself to Go First and put its house in order, will it be able to get more market share that has stagnated for years and has not moved beyond 10 per cent?

The Wadia group-owned and Mumbaiheadquartered low-cost carrier GoAir filed for Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) in May. This is the farthest the airline has moved in its plan to list over the last many years. All its plans in the past were abandoned midway due to one reason or another and many times due to no fault of the airline as market conditions deteriorated quickly.

For an airline which was written offby many – it has not only stood the test of time but has emerged stronger after every crisis! As it moves towards an IPO, it could emerge as a larger and major player who could claim a number two slot in Indian aviation. The airline commenced operations in 2005 and has just over 50 aircraft in its fleet, even as rival IndiGo which started a year later is over five times in size.

History

The airline started operations in November 2005. Within years, the industry was hit by the crisis in 2008 when fuel prices surged and the global economy came crashing. A small airline back then, GoAir did a successful turnaround and placed an order for 72 A320neo aircraft in 2011. This was topped up with another 72 aircraft later.