Two more Airbus 320neo aircraft, belonging to budget carrier IndiGo, were temporarily withdrawn on Sunday as problems with aircraft engines continued.
The move follows incidents involving the old series of Pratt&Whitney engines that were reported at Delhi and Srinagar.
Pratt&Whitney president Robert F. Leduc, meanwhile, told a United Technologies Corporation’s investors meeting that the grounded Airbus aircraft belonging to IndiGo and GoAir would be back in operation by April-end.
“You may have seen that the Indian authorities took a decision to ground the fleet in India ...We’re disappointed with that decision, but I can tell you that by the end of April, that fleet will be back up in the air flying in India,” Mr. Leduc said.
According to sources, Indigo was forced to ground an A320neo aircraft VI-ITX after metal chips were detected in the jet’s engine oil at New Delhi airport after it completed the Bengaluru-New Delhi flight on Sunday morning.
Later in the afternoon, another A320neo had to be withdrawn for investigation in Srinagar after a hydraulic leak from its engine. The aircraft was later rectified and declared fit to fly.
The two incidents, which took place in less than 12 hours, come days after the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered the grounding of 11 A320neo planes, fitted with P&W engines of a particular series, belonging to budget carriers IndiGo and GoAir.
Sunday’s incident is said to be the fourth involving the old series of engines.
Airline officials said Sunday’s problems were both on A320neo aircraft fitted with old series of Pratt&Whitney engines, which continue to be in use as the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has grounded aircraft with new series of engines. The safety regulator grounded a particular series of the P&W engine due to a reoccurring problem of engine trouble on March 13.
Reacting to the first incident, an Indigo spokesperson said the A320neo aircraft that operated a Bengaluru-Delhi flight on Sunday morning was proactively withdrawn in Delhi for a maintenance check to attend to a Pilot Reported Defect.
“These maintenance checks are part of a comprehensive programme of early detection. During the maintenance check, metal chips were observed on engine number 1 and number 3 bearing chip detector, which is a known concern on the neo engine,” the spokesperson said.
About the second incident, the spokesperson said the A320neo was cleared after maintenance checks upon arrival at Srinagar airport.
“However, during engine start the pilot-in-command observed a hydraulic (not oil) leakage from engine number 2. The aircraft was immediately withdrawn to investigate the hydraulic leak. The issue has been rectified and aircraft is fit to fly,” the spokesperson said.
IndiGo and GoAir will jointly cancel close to 630 domestic flights this month. While Indigo has announced the cancellation of 488 flights, Go Air said it will cancel 138 flights till March 31. These cancellations are expected to hit an estimated 1 lakh passengers.
