Minister for Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu has sought a detailed report from aviation regulator DGCA on the grounding of A320 Neo planes due to snags in Pratt and Whitney engines.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has in the meantime, submitted preliminary details on the status of the planes grounded and said that nine A320s – seven of IndiGo and two of GoAir – were on ground out of the total 60 A320 Neos with PW engines with these two airlines.
The regulator also pointed out that the groundings were due to combustor distress, but ruled out safety concerns.
“There are no safety concerns as such distress is found during routine scheduled boroscope inspections of these engines,” the DGCA informed the Ministry, adding that it was in touch with the manufacturer and no additional measure was required on the issue.
The new A320 neos inducted by IndiGo and GoAir since March 2018 as well as new spare engines have combustors with better life, the regulator said and emphasised that the measures taken by the engine manufacturer had “significantly reduced the engine problems.” IndiGo has a total of 41 A320 neos with PW engines, while GoAir has 19.
Engine removal
“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,” Pratt and Whitney said in a statement.
