DGCA extends deadline till May 31 for IndiGo to replace P&W engines

DGCA earlier directed budget carrier IndiGo to replace Pratt and Whitney (P&W) engines on 97 Airbus A320neo aircraft by 31 January

India's aviation regulator on Monday said it has extended deadline for IndiGo to replace all 135 unmodified Pratt and Whitney (PW) engines from Jan 31 to May 31, news agency PTI reported.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had earlier directed the budget carrier to carry out replacements on 97 Airbus A320neo aircraft having turbine blades built with titanium by January 31, 2020 following a series of engine incidents. The airline will have to replace such aircraft with those having sturdier engine turbine blades built with nickel-chromium alloy, according to an earlier directive issued by the aviation regulator.

Last October, an Indigo A320neo heading to Pune suffered a problem with one of its engines during take-off from Kolkata. The aircraft returned to Kolkata and was grounded.

IndiGo faced 13 incidents of engine trouble last year, including four in a single week in October.