MUMBAI: Of twelve A320neos that were grounded over air safety concerns on the Indian aviation regulator's orders last month, only four are currently on ground.
IndiGo and
Go Air have replaced faulty engines of eight A320neo aircraft to make them air-worthy and the aviation regulator,
DGCA, has re-certified these aircraft, advocates for IndiGo and Go Air told Bombay high court on Thursday.
A bench of Justices
Naresh Patil and
Girish Kulkarni heard a PIL for grounding all A320neo of IndiGo and Go Air over safety concerns due to frequent engine failures these aircraft type have suffered in the past two years. The DGCA, as directed by the court, submitted an affidavit on the air-worthiness of A320neo aircraft. IndiGo and Go Air too filed an affidavit, explaining the issues their aircraft faced and the steps taken.
"IndiGo had grounded nine A320neo aircraft, following the DGCA order, of which only three remain grounded," said senior advocate Janak Dwarkadas, appearing for IndiGo. GoAir had grounded three A320neos, of which two are flying now.
Advocate
Anirudha Deo, appearing for the petitioner referred to a March 19 letter sent by A320neo engine manufacturer Pratt and Whitney to the DGCA, which spoke of "LPT blade damage". "This problem hasn't been mentioned in the DGCA public notice, this is a new issue," Deo said. Responding to the matter, IndiGo's advocate said IndiGo had pro-actively grounded three engines in December, January and the problem has now been rectified.
Representative Image
