NEW DELHI: Snags in Pratt & Whitney (PW) powering Airbus A-320 Neos show no sign of ending. Yet another
IndiGo new engine option (Neo) A-320 was grounded in Delhi on Monday after reportedly facing the recurring “oil chip issue”. This aircraft is a new one and the engine is learnt to have done very few hours before it developed this snag and now needs to be replaced.
Confirming this, an IndiGo spokesperson said: “An IndiGo A-320 Neo has been grounded and is undergoing a routine engine change. There is no impact on our flight operations.” The airline did not give details of the flight on which this happened and whether the snag happened when the plane was going to take off or had landed.
In India, IndiGo and
GoAir use PW-powered A-320 Neos and both the airlines have been plagued with engine snags and groundings. Less than two weeks back, GoAir had said three of its Neo were grounded awaiting replacement of faulty PW engines. IndiGo then had at least five Neos grounded for the same reason.
PW recently said it is “working closely with operators to address aircraft taken out of service per established engine inspection plans. Engine removals are being planned and coordinated with the airlines as we continue to successfully retrofit the fleet with the latest configuration engines. Some aircraft will be out of service temporarily as they perform these removals. Spare engines are now becoming available, with the objective to support aircraft availability in August and onward. We will continue to work with each airline while we incorporate enhancements to their fleet.”
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) says the issue arose after regular checks mandated by it at more frequent intervals. “We have laid out a strict schedule for carrying out regular checks on PW engines powering the A-320 Neos. Regular borscopic checks revealed trouble with the engines due to which the same need to be changed. PW has given a schedule to airlines for supplying replacement engines,” a senior DGCA official said.
However, even regulatory officials admit that such frequent problems in a brand new engine of planes that have been in service for barely a couple of years — not counting the periods for which many Neos have been grounded — is a cause of concern. But they reiterate that the planes are safe to fly while having constant maintenance/replacement issues.
Air India and
Vistara also have A-320s Neos but the are powered by engines from a different manufacturer.
File image used for representation only
