Earlier on Wednesday, the DGCA called for an urgent meeting with IndiGo and GoAir to review the performance of Airbus Neo aircraft. The two budget carriers have been facing glitches in the P&W engine that powers many of their A320 planes.
Following the meeting, an official statement issued by the DGCA states that all new inductions of A320/321 neo aircraft after August 2019 must be installed with modified MGB and new modified 3rd stage LPT blades. The two budget carriers have been facing glitches in the P&W engine that powers many of their A320 planes. Out of these, 120 to 130 aircraft are flown by IndiGo and GoAir, the sources said. IndiGo has 79 A320 Neos, five A321 Neos, 134 A320s and 18 ATRs in its fleet of 236 aircraft. GoAir operates 35 A320 Neos and 16 A320s.
"About 40 per cent of the domestic seat capacity of India is powered by Neo Engines and therefore, any knee-jerk reaction to completely shut their operations will have serious consequences. As there has not been any reported case of any accident in any part of the world, where these engines are in operation, will it be prudent? It is true that there have been cases of Air Turn Back, In-Flight Shut down or Engine vibrations beyond the prescribed limits, but with strong mitigation measures in place and strict adherence to SOPs by the Airlines, the problem is being contained. Whenever there is a problem with the Engine, the Aircraft is being grounded and the Engine replaced." the statement read.
The P&W engine-powered A320 neo planes in the fleets of the two airlines have been facing glitches both mid-air and on-ground since their induction way back in 2016, which has also led to the grounding of some planes.
(With inputs from PTI)
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