Pratt engine issue delays Airbus plane deliveries to IndiGo, GoAir

For the replacement of old A320, Air India decided to induct 34 A320 family aircraft on lease

The delivery schedule of A320 neo planes of IndiGo and GoAir has got impacted due to bearing seal plate wearing and combustion chamber distress issues in the Pratt & Whitney engines of such aircraft that have already been delivered, the government said today.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha also said that Air India has experienced delay in deliveries of some A320 neo aircraft fitted with CFM Leap engines by few days due to non- availability of engines at the Airbus facility.

While budget carriers IndiGo and GoAir have opted for PW engine-powered A320 neo (new engine option) planes, national carrier Air India has chosen the Leap IA26 engines from CFM.

Vistara, a Tata-Singapore Airlines joint venture, is also one of the A320 neo operators. It has selected CFM International's advanced LEAP-1A engine for the aircraft.

The delivery of A320 neo planes to Indian airlines started in the first quarter of 2016.

"Subsequently, operators have started facing problem on PW 1100G-JM engines fitted on these aircraft due to bearing seal plate wearing and combustion chamber distress," Sinha said in his reply.

Further, he said IndiGo and GoAir has "confirmed that these issues have impacted the delivery of aircraft".

The manufacturer (PW) has informed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) about addressing bearing and combustion chamber distress, the minister said.

IndiGo was the first Indian carrier to induct the latest single-aisle, fuel-efficient Airbus 320 neo aircraft in March 2016 after a delay of nearly three months.

This was followed by GoAir, which took the first delivery of A320 neo in June. Air India also inducted the first such aircraft in the fleet in February, though the delivery was originally scheduled for January.

In a separate written reply, Sinha said that "for the purpose of replacement of old A320 and growth, Air India decided to induct 34 A320 family aircraft on lease".

Thirteen of these aircraft have already been received and remaining deliveries will be completed by February 2019, he added.