Minister of state for aviation Jayant Sinha said that a number of things needed to be sorted out before the expression of interest for Air India’s sale could be floated. File photo: Mint
Hyderabad: The government is taking appropriate measures as well as seeking technical and expert advice on the Pratt & Whitney (P&W) engine issue that led to grounding of three A320 Neo aircraft operated by IndiGo, minister of state for aviation Jayant Sinha said on Friday.
“Safety is our number one priority and we have been working very closely with safety regulators around the world to decide the best course of action for the P&W engine issue,” Sinha said.
“Through consultations, we have put in place appropriate safety measures for the engine, which are consistent with practices from elsewhere around the world. And of course this requires regular inspections of the engines that are identified as having issues,” Sinha said.
No-frills airline IndiGo had in February said it has grounded three A320 Neo aircraft due to problems related to its P&W engines, which also resulted in cancellation of some flights.
Sinha added that a number of things needed to be sorted out before the expression of interest (EoI) for Air India’s sale could be floated.
“There are a number of important things we need to sort and then get approval from the alternative mechanism headed by the finance minister,” Sinha said, adding that the government is expected to come out with the EoI for Air India’s sale as soon as the alternative mechanism gives the go-ahead for the same.
A group of ministers headed by finance minister Arun Jaitley is looking at ways to privatize the national carrier—a process known as the alternative mechanism in government circles.
