NEW DELHI: The bad news from Pratt & Whitney (P&W) shows no signs of abating for customer airlines using its problem-plagued engines on the best-selling single-aisle Airbus A320neo aircraft and passengers. The engine manufacturer has now warned that “600 to 700 engines will be removed for shop visits between 2023 and 2026 (and) the accelerated removals and incremental shop visits will result in more aircraft on the ground.” As the world’s largest customer for the A320 family of aircraft, Indigo is seeking to lease more than 20 older-generation A320neos to deal with what could further worsen the grounded fleet situation. India’s largest domestic airline has a fleet of over 300 aircraft, of which nearly 50 are grounded due to lack of P&W engines.
The neos are said to be more economical than the A320ceos, but the problems with P&W engines have now led IndiGo to look for the A320ceos. IndiGo currently has more than 130 A320neos and could be hit hard by the new P&W warning. It has already leased two widebody aircraft from Turkish Airlines (leased with the operational crew), which are operated daily between Istanbul, Delhi and Mumbai. GoAir had a fleet of P&W-powered A320s, but is now grounded. The airline had outright blamed P&W for the collapse.
In a statement on Tuesday, IndiGo said: “We have received recent information from our OEM manufacturer P&W regarding the outcome of the latest inspection of their engine. We continue to work closely with P&W to assess the potential impact on our fleet and implement mitigation measures as necessary.”
The “expedited removals” have become necessary because P&W discovered “powder metal contamination” that can cause some engine parts to crack. Greg Hayes, chairman and CEO of US aerospace company RTX which makes P&W engines, said: “We are focused on addressing the challenges posed by the powder metal production problem.”
The neos are said to be more economical than the A320ceos, but the problems with P&W engines have now led IndiGo to look for the A320ceos. IndiGo currently has more than 130 A320neos and could be hit hard by the new P&W warning. It has already leased two widebody aircraft from Turkish Airlines (leased with the operational crew), which are operated daily between Istanbul, Delhi and Mumbai. GoAir had a fleet of P&W-powered A320s, but is now grounded. The airline had outright blamed P&W for the collapse.
In a statement on Tuesday, IndiGo said: “We have received recent information from our OEM manufacturer P&W regarding the outcome of the latest inspection of their engine. We continue to work closely with P&W to assess the potential impact on our fleet and implement mitigation measures as necessary.”
The “expedited removals” have become necessary because P&W discovered “powder metal contamination” that can cause some engine parts to crack. Greg Hayes, chairman and CEO of US aerospace company RTX which makes P&W engines, said: “We are focused on addressing the challenges posed by the powder metal production problem.”
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