Bombay High Court tells DGCA to check flyers’ anxiety over aircraft engines

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday directed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to ensure that “passenger safety was not compromised with”, in light of the engine troubles being faced by some aircraft belonging to private airlines Indigo and Go Air.

A bench of Justices Naresh Patil and GS Kulkarni also directed DGCA to test the airworthiness of all Prat and Whitney engines used for A320 neo planes including those which had not been flagged by expert air safety bodies. The bench directed the DGCA to file, within a week, an affidavit on all steps taken to quell the anxiety of passengers over the aircraft engines.

The bench was hearing a PIL filed by a city resident, Harish Agarwal, seeking appropriate directions to the civil aviation authorities over recent reports that certain ‘Pratt & Whitney (PW) engines’ which power A320 neo planes were more susceptible to engine failures.

In February this year, a European Air Safety Authority issued an airworthiness directive for A320 neo planes fitted with PW1100 engines. As per the directive, PW1100 engines are classified into two types or series of numbers, 449 and 450 and beyond. The EASA ruled that engines having the serial numbers 450 and beyond had combustion and other safety problems.

However, DGCA’s counsel Adveith Sethna told HC that earlier this month, the DGCA conducted its own independent study and ruled that aircraft with even one 450 and beyond PW1100 engine should be grounded.

Both Indigo’s counsel and Go Air’s counsel said all affected aircrafts were grounded. “While we appreciate your decision to ground the affected flights, you must take steps to ensure that air passengers are not inconvenienced due to the consequent cancellation of flights. Take all possible steps to address the issue,” the bench said.