DGCA tells IndiGo efforts to fix Neo engines inadequate

IndiGo has 98 A320Neo family aircraft, comprising 91 A320Neos and seven A321Neos, which are all powered by P&W engines.

India’s aviation regulator on Monday warned IndiGo that the airline’s efforts to modify the glitch-prone older Pratt & Whitney (PW) engines installed on Airbus A320Neo aircraft were not satisfactory. This means a significant portion of IndiGo’s fleet could be grounded if the carrier fails to meet a January 31 deadline.

IndiGo has 98 A320Neo family aircraft, comprising 91 A320Neos and seven A321Neos (Pradeep Gaur/Mint)

“We may find ourselves in a situation in which we remain saddled with a large number of aircraft with unmodified engines and operating on a schedule approved by us,” the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said.

However, DGCA said that the grounding of aircraft would be a sub-optimal solution.

IndiGo has 98 A320Neo family aircraft, comprising 91 A320Neos and seven A321Neos, which are all powered by P&W engines. Of these, one of the two engines fitted in 23 aircraft have been modified. The airline recently took delivery of an A320Neo family plane days after the DGCA issued a directive.

The regulator said that for every new A320Neo aircraft that IndiGo adds to its fleet henceforth, it would have to ground a similar aircraft with unmodified engines.

InterGlobe Aviation Ltd, which operates IndiGo, said it is trying to fix the issue. “IndiGo is working with P&W and Airbus to adjust inflow of LPT (low pressure turbine) 3 modified engines to meet the DGCA guidelines,” an IndiGo spokesperson said.

On November 1, DGCA had directed IndiGo to replace P&W engines with modified LPTs on 97 Airbus A320Neo aircraft by 31 January, following a series of engine incidents.

Only IndiGo and GoAir operate P&W-powered A320Neo family aircraft in India. GoAir has 38 Airbus A320Neo aircraft on its fleet, which are also powered by P&W engines.