DGCA orders grounding of 8 IndiGo, 3 GoAir aircraft over engine issues

Citing safety concerns, the aviation industry regulator on Monday directed public carriers IndiGo and GoAir to ground a total of 11 A320neo aircraft fitted with Pratt & Whitney engines.

Out ot the 11, eight are operated by IndiGo while GoAir operates three, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a statement here.

With this, all the A320neo aircraft with PW1100 engines beyond serial number 450 have been taken off operation in India.

DGCA said: "Both IndiGo and GoAir have been told not to refit these engines, which are spare with them in their inventory."

The directive came immediately after an IndiGo A320neo VT-ITA flight reported engine failure and had to make an emergency landing at Ahmedabad following take off from the same airport on Monday.

Previously, the DGCA had ordered grounding of 3 units of IndiGo's A320neo fleet after the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) had on February 9, 2018, issued emergency airworthiness directive regarding A320neo fleet the world over fitted with PW1100 engines (with serial number of 450 and beyond).

As per the directive, EASA has imposed restrictions "on grounding of aeroplanes having two affected engines within three flight cycles", the agency said in statement on Monday.

The agency also restricted the use of aeroplanes having at least one affected engine for "extended operations".

Clarifying its position, Pratt & Whitney in a statement said: "We are working closely with our customers to minimize disruption. The corrective action has been approved and we have already begun to deliver production engines with the upgraded configuration."

--IANS

rrb/ag/bg