An Indigo flight - 6E-451 - returned to Lucknow after the pilot observed high vibration in engine number 2 on Monday. The flight was heading from Lucknow to Jaipur. Sources say the engine stalled mid-air after take off after which the pilot observed vibration in the engine and returned to Lucknow.

The aircraft is currently grounded and is being inspected by the technical team.

This is not the first time that the Pratt & Whitney (P&W) Neo engines have reported mid-air technical troubles.

So far, as many as 12 instances of “inflight shutdowns” have been reported since March 2016, aviation regulator Directorate General of Civial Aviation (DGCA) has said.

About 10 days ago, the ministry of civil aviation held a review meeting on safety issues related to the engines and directed DGCA to issue an additional directive relating to safety protocols within a week to the airlines that fly the planes fitted with the Neo engines.

Three instances of mid-air snags on IndiGo’s Airbus A-320 planes were reported between December and January, forcing the pilots to seek priority landing. This prompted the ministry to summon the airline and the engine manufacturer for a meeting.

Engine-maker Pratt & Whitney also issued a statement.

“The Indigo A320 Neo aircraft which was involved in the air turn back at Lucknow on January 21 was powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM engines. We are working with our customer to help minimise any disruption to their operations. The PW1100G-JM powers a fleet of more than 290 A320 Neo aircraft worldwide which have achieved more than 1.4 million engine flight hours of operation,” it said.

First Published: Jan 21, 2019 20:32 IST