IndiGo to lease 22 aircraft to overcome impact of P&W engine snags: Report

Amid the grounding of several of its Airbus A320 Neos, India's largest airline IndiGo is seeking to induct 22 aircraft from the secondary lease market, The Economic Times (ET) reported on Wednesday. The planes are being grounded due to trouble in their Pratt and Whitney (P7W) engines.

Aerospace major RTX, the manufacturer of P&W engines, earlier this week said that it will recall 600-700 engines, till 2026, for inspection. It may lead to the grounding of about 350 aircraft per year. The engines will need to be inspected after contamination was found in the powdered metal that is used to make them. The contamination led to cracks in the engine.

IndiGo has the largest fleet with 135 planes running on engines which will be impacted due to safety inspection. Forty-five of these planes are already grounded.

The airline is now considering leasing A320 aircraft with V2500 engines. These have less fuel efficiency as compared to PW1100G engines.

"IndiGo may have to settle for the A320 Ceo to maintain capacity in the immediate term. Getting A320 Neo (new generation) planes may be difficult as the supply system is already choked. Availability of older aircraft has also dried up," a person aware of the development was quoted as saying in the report.

The PW1100G engines have faced problems since they came into service in 2016. In 2019, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) asked the airlines to replace the faulty engines before inducting new aircraft.

Moreover, out of 22 aircraft, 10 will be short-term wet leases and the rest will be dry leases, ET said citing sources. Under a wet lease, the lessor provides the aircraft along with crew and maintenance services. These are typically costlier than the dry lease.

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However, IndiGo wants to lease the planes before the winter holiday season kicks in.