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Go First's decision to suspend operations and file for bankruptcy has brought into focus the risks of running an airline in India.
Low-cost carrier Go First's decision to suspend operations and file for bankruptcy has once again brought into focus the risks of running an airline in India.
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With several instances of private airlines shutting operations, India's aviation history is dotted with ownership changes, failed mergers, and government interventions.
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East-West Airlines and Damania Airways were launched to disrupt the fixed-price Air India-dominated industry. However, both airlines shut down operations just four to five years after their launch.
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Jet Airways, in competition with Kingfisher Airlines, got caught up in a takeover bid for Air Sahara. The worsening operating environment and other factors proved to be too much for Jet Airways in the following years.
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Vijay Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines fell prey to the idea of expanding its network. The near Rs 1,000 crore it poured into the takeover of Air Deccan eventually led to a financial crunch.
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While several airlines have come to a grinding halt, others have risen from the ashes largely through ownership changes.
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Ajay Singh's SpiceJet faced an existential threat in 2014. Singh, who had ceded control of the airline to Kalanithi Maran in 2010, made a comeback to rescue the airline.
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The most recent example is Air India, which was recently bought back by the Tata Group after its nationalisation in 1953.
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