Almost half of the IndiGo’s A-320 Neos have been grounded due to engine-related issues, with the confusion over GST severely hitting the import of different parts of the aircraft. The low-cost carrier has a fleet of close to 140 A-320s including 22 Neo aircraft, of which nine are grounded.
According to a report in the Economic Times, all aircrafts are grounded due to trouble with the Pratt & Whitney (PW) engines used on these planes. IndiGo and GoAir use the combination of PW engines on A-320 Neos. It said that PW is facing issue on the A-320 Neos globally. Issues like slow engine startup times and erroneous engine software messages have forced the US based engine manufacturer to replace or rectify them worldwide.
To rectify the errors, IndiGo, which is India’s largest airline, needs to import some parts but confusion in terms of import duties under the new tax regime has only added to the problem.
"...we continue to face operational issues with the Neo engine.... While this has caused operational disruptions, both PW and Airbus are working to address the issues. In the meantime, we continue to receive the necessary operational and technical support including the provision of spare engines to help mitigate the operational impact on us," IndiGo spokesman Ajay Jasra said.
According to country’s civil aviation regulator, as many as 42 Pratt engines have been prematurely removed around the world till February 24 this year.
A statement by PW said that the with the support of Airbus, it was ‘working with its customers in India and supporting them in their daily operations’.
“The PW PurePower GTF engine employs advanced technology and has been in operation for more than one year. It has more than 200,000 hours of passenger service and is utilized by 13 operators flying 250 flights per day to over 100 destinations on four continents,” the statement said.
India has the largest fleet of A-320 Neos at present.
