Pratt says engine malfunction not a safety issue; sees no drop in demand

Firm denies reports of fire in planes using its engines, is working on other problems

Engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney claimed that that the repeated mishaps with the 1100G engines used in A320 neo aircraft do not pose any safety issues. The manufacturer also said that they have not found any incidents of fire in the engines.
 
“There was no fire. We have done external and internal (investigation) and have found no evidence of fire. I am categorically saying that there is no safety issue," Pratt and Whitney India head Palash Roy Choudhury said in an interview.
 
Two incidents of fire were reported in aircraft using the engine -- one with a GoAir Delhi-Bengaluru flight and an IndiGo Mumbai-Delhi flight in over the last two months.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the civil aviation regulator, conducted borescope inspections on engines with more than 1,000 flight hours, a reduction from the 1,500h interval recommended by P&W. DGCA also orders airlines to immediately ground the A320neo if a metal chip detection warning coincides with a gearbox failure, revoking a 10 flight-hour cushion provided in the A320neo’s approved minimum equipment list.

 

On preliminary examinations,  DGCA found that  the geared turbo-fan engine, which is known for its fuel efficiency, is facing more than one problem. First, with the combustion chamber, and second with the third bearing of the engine which is being detected as a “metal chip warning.” As of today, 21 aircraft in India use P&W engines. Of those IndiGo has 16 and GoAir five. IndiGo, the biggest customer of the A320 neo, has chosen P&W for its 150 aircraft.
 
Choudhury said that Pratt has identified the issues and is working in collaboration with the regulators and airlines to address the issue. “We have identified the problems, For instance the life of the combustor is not being as long as we expected due to pollution and suspended particulate matter.  That’s why there are a lot more replacements. For the combustor we have identified a new modification and this will come by Q3 of this year.We are testing a solution to address the problem of seal degradation, It will also come in the next couple of months,” he said.
 
He also said that the “chip detector” message is an early warning for possible engine failure. Advanced warning system introduced by the manufacturer has resulted in warnings in different phase of flight leading to many aborted operations.

“So, actually this adds to the safety feature but due to some climatic conditions we are not getting the expected life of the combustor, which are resulting in replacements,” Choudhury said.
 
According to DGCA, technical issues have resulted in 41 cases of premature removal the engines across the world- 13 due to the issue with combustion chamber and 28 cases of No. 3 bearing failure.
 
Choudhury termed the issues as initial teething issues which will be resolved over the period. “These have certainly resulted in operational issues for our customers. We are making spare engines available for them so that they don’t suffer. We are working very closely with them,” he says pointing out that the company has successfully resolved the problem of more-than-normal cooling time for the engine. “There will be initial issues with such a long program, but we are not compromising on safety, the engine has been introduced with certification from multiple regulators,” he said.
 
Gulf major Qatar Airways had rejected taking delivery of the A320 neo aircraft due to this issue but Choudhury is confident that there will be increased demand for the product. IndiGo in response to a query said that though the engine was facing operational issues was no change in the aircraft induction plan.
 
“The engine is meeting all the expectations. 15 per cent fuel reduction. Last year we saved five million gallons of fuel. The engine is with 13 airlines doing more than 200 flights per day. We are seeing a demand for the engine. This year we plan to deliver almost 400 engines. We are ramping up our system to produce more,” Choudhury said.