Another one bites the dust? Case: Air Pegasus
Air Pegasus, the south-India based regional short-haul airline, seems to be the next airline in India on the brink of winding up. Yesterday, they cancelled their flights indefinitely citing a technical glitch. However, the same article quoted above suggests that they're in deep financial trouble. Here's more.
Air Pegasus commenced operations in April 2015, and prior to yesterday's cancellations, operated a fleet of 3 ATR 72-500 aircraft (VT-APA, VT-APB and VT-APD). I've never flown them, so I don't have a personal angle on this airline.
As an aside, the DGCA (aviation regulator in India) sacked the chief of safety and suspended five pilots of the airline, for various safety violations. That isn't to say that safety is the reason for the airline's cancellations, but in another jurisdiction, it might well have been.
Coming back to the issue on hand, the cancellations seem to be coming on the back of acute cash flow problems, and payments to aircraft lessors being delayed or denied, causing the lessors to recall the aircraft. To make matters worse, Jet Airways (which does line maintenance for Pegasus) pulled out of its contract too, citing non-payment of dues.
The DGCA's website continues to show the airline's scheduled operations even as of date. Strangely, there's mixed messaging on the airline's website, though nowhere does the website talk about shutting down operations, however temporarily. For instance, here's the part of the website that suggests not all is well.
Yet, here's one where is still upbeat as ever. In fact, you can even book tickets for later this week!
The really sad thing is that only recently did the Minister for Civil Aviation talk about the new civil aviation policy in India and the thrust on regional connectivity - exactly the kind of sub-sector that Pegasus is (was?) involved in. Pretty disappointing, I'd say.
One thing's for sure, though...if you've got tickets booked with them, now's probably a good time to connect with the airline to get a refund...that is, if you can find someone to pick up the phone at the other end.
Air Pegasus commenced operations in April 2015, and prior to yesterday's cancellations, operated a fleet of 3 ATR 72-500 aircraft (VT-APA, VT-APB and VT-APD). I've never flown them, so I don't have a personal angle on this airline.
As an aside, the DGCA (aviation regulator in India) sacked the chief of safety and suspended five pilots of the airline, for various safety violations. That isn't to say that safety is the reason for the airline's cancellations, but in another jurisdiction, it might well have been.
Coming back to the issue on hand, the cancellations seem to be coming on the back of acute cash flow problems, and payments to aircraft lessors being delayed or denied, causing the lessors to recall the aircraft. To make matters worse, Jet Airways (which does line maintenance for Pegasus) pulled out of its contract too, citing non-payment of dues.
The DGCA's website continues to show the airline's scheduled operations even as of date. Strangely, there's mixed messaging on the airline's website, though nowhere does the website talk about shutting down operations, however temporarily. For instance, here's the part of the website that suggests not all is well.
Yet, here's one where is still upbeat as ever. In fact, you can even book tickets for later this week!
The really sad thing is that only recently did the Minister for Civil Aviation talk about the new civil aviation policy in India and the thrust on regional connectivity - exactly the kind of sub-sector that Pegasus is (was?) involved in. Pretty disappointing, I'd say.
Conclusion
To misquote Shakespeare, there's something rotten with the state of things at Pegasus. The last two instance of airlines on the brink of failure have had vastly different consequences - Kingfisher went bust, while SpiceJet turned around (pretty well, at that). Wonder which way Pegasus will go.One thing's for sure, though...if you've got tickets booked with them, now's probably a good time to connect with the airline to get a refund...that is, if you can find someone to pick up the phone at the other end.
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