News
IndiGo adds AWAS A320ceos as neo engine issues persist
April 7th 2017
Gurgaon-headquartered IndiGo Airlines has signed a lease agreement with AWAS for three A320ceos that are due for delivery this quarter. The budget carrier operates 112 A320ceos and 19 A320neos to 39 domestic cities and six destinations in Thailand, the UAE, Nepal, Oman and Singapore. Read More »
IndiGo also has more than 400 neos, including 20 larger A321neos, on direct order with Airbus. In the interim, Pratt & Whitney (P&W) engine troubles continue to affect the carrier’s A320neo operations.
IndiGo’s vice-president for flight operations, Ashim Mittra, has advised pilots in an internal memo to not fly the neo above 30,000 feet and to carry extra fuel to account for higher fuel consumption at lower altitude, a public relations disaster for the manufacturer that promised 15% fuel savings on the neo versus the ceo.
India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked P&W neo operators to carry out one-time boroscopic inspections of all engines that have completed 1,000 hours instead of the 1,500 hours recommended by the manufacturer. The affected airlines also must repeat these inspections every 500 hours thereafter.
The regulator advised carriers to immediately withdraw neos from service if metal chips are detected in the engine oil. This bulletin overrides the manufacturer’s instructions which state that affected aircraft could still be flown up to ten hours following detection.
"Pratt & Whitney, with the support of Airbus, is in close contact with the Indian authorities to address technical issues and provide solutions in a timely manner. We are actively working with our customers in India and are supporting them in their daily operations,” P&W told Orient Aviation.
Bloomberg has reported P&W is reserving approximately 13% of its geared turbofans (GTFs) as replacements for faulty units this year.
Air India, India’s third neo operator, has not reported any issues with the aircraft. It selected CFM International’s LEAP-1A to power its neos, the rival engine to P&W’s GTF.
