The DGCA on Monday, 25 November, instructed IndiGo to ground an old A320neo family aircraft with an unmodified Pratt and Whitney (PW) engine for every new A320neo plane added to its fleet to prevent large-scale cancellation of flights from 31 January onwards.
The aviation regulator issued directions in view of the 31 January deadline given by it to IndiGo to replace all unmodified PW engines on its 97 A320neo family aircraft or face grounding of planes.
Efforts undertaken by IndiGo to replace all unmodified PW engines on its 97 A320neo family aircraft by 31 January next year – as per the previous instructions of the DGCA – do not "instill enough confidence with regard to the timely completion of the said task", said a senior official of DGCA.
The regulator was afraid that from 31 January onwards, it would have to ground many IndiGo planes as they would be left with unmodified PW engines, leading to multiple flight cancellations across the country, the official said.
The regulator's Monday directive was likely to affect the low-cost carrier's expansion plans as it would have to deploy each new A320neo plane, which was joining its fleet on the routes that would be vacated due to grounding of an unmodified A320neo plane.
"Simply put, the new aircraft will slip into the role of one existing aircraft with unmodified engines...The grounded aircraft can be allowed a fresh schedule once its PW engines are replaced," a senior Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official said.
On 1 November, the DGCA had told IndiGo to replace PW engines under both wings of 97 A320neo family aircraft "at all costs" by 31 January or they would be grounded.
The DGCA official said on Monday, "If left unaddressed, we may find ourselves in a situation in which we remain saddled with large number of aircraft with unmodified engines and operating on a schedule approved by us. We are left with the only option ie to ground them on 31 January 2020." If the DGCA exercises this option, "large scale disruptions with its attendant consequences" shall follow, the official said.
IndiGo said in a statement said, "The current schedule remains intact. IndiGo is working with PW and Airbus to adjust inflow of LPT (low pressure turbine) 3rd stage modified engines to meet the DGCA guidelines," the airline said.
With a fleet of around 247 planes and a share of around 47 percent of the domestic air passenger market, IndiGo is India's largest airline.
The budget carrier was asked to present a "complete action plan" on 25 November on how it would procure and replace PW engines on all 97 aircraft by 31 January, said the DGCA official on Monday.
However, the budget carrier made it clear that the choice of engine manufacturer for this order would be made at a later date.
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