Replace engines of 98 Airbus A320neo aircraft by Jan 31, DGCA asks IndiGo

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has set January 31 as the final date for IndiGo to change the engines of all its 98 Airbus A320neo aircraft.

Planes with unmodified engines will not be allowed to fly after the deadline. DGCA’s order, issued on Friday, comes after four air turnback incidents (return to departure airport) involving the A320neo in a week. The directive could impact the airline's schedules and capacity induction plan. IndiGo has already revised downward its 2019-20 capacity growth target because of aircraft delivery delays.

DGCA chief Arun Kumar noted the four instances of air turnback was matter of serious concern and said both engines of all the 97 aircraft need to have modified low pressure turbines (LPTs). The planes in question are powered by Pratt & Whitney manufactured engines.

An aviation source said a two-month deadline was stiff and US-based Pratt & Whitney could face a challenge in delivering the required number. "It has customers around the world and will have to supply extra engines to IndiGo without disturbing delivery schedules of others," he explained.

"IndiGo currently operates its fleet of 98 A320 NEO family with around 45% of its engines modified. We are working with both P&W and Airbus on mitigation so that we have enough modified spare engines by January 31, 2020. In the meantime, our schedule remains intact,” the airline said. IndiGo operates over 1,400 daily flights and has a fleet of 250 planes.

Snags have been reported on the engines since their entry into service in 2016. They have undergone checks and modifications but issues persist regarding low pressure turbines, main gear box failure and engine vibration. The recent air turnbacks were due to the turbine issue.

Earlier, DGCA also directed IndiGo to change engines on 23 planes till November 19. These planes have unmodified engines which have clocked 2900 hours each and the regulator wants airline to fit one modified engine in the period.

Pratt & Whitney did not comment on Friday. Earlier in the week, it said it was “working in coordination with our airline customers to incorporate upgrades improving the durability of the low pressure turbine in the PW1100G-JM fleet to address a known issue...We are committed to ensure minimal disruption during the fleet retrofit.”

Airbus bags $33-billion IndiGo order for 300 A320neo family aircraft

India’s largest airline IndiGo has placed an order for 300 Airbus A320neo family planes worth at least $33 billion at recent list prices, handing the European planemaker one of its largest orders.

The order — a mix of A320 neo, A321 neo, and the new long range aircraft A321 XLR from the Airbus stable — makes India’s position as one of the top three growing markets for air travel with more than 1,200 aircraft on order.

The latest deal takes IndiGo’s A320neo family aircraft orders to 730, making it the world’s biggest customer for these planes. The airline had ordered 50 ATR-72 in September, of which 21 have been delivered.

“This order is an important milestone, as it reiterates our mission of strengthening air connectivity in India, which will, in turn, boost economic growth and mobility. India is expected to continue with strong aviation growth, and we are well on our way to build the world’s best air transportation system, to serve more customers and deliver on our promise of providing low fares and a courteous, hassle-free experience to them,” said Ronojoy Dutta, chief executive officer of IndiGo.

chartThe Airbus A321 XLR jet will also help IndiGo widen its international footprint.

Airbus’ new A321 XLR — with a list price of $142 million — has extended the range of the A320neo family to 4,700 nautical miles. Buying it will allow IndiGo offer narrow-body flights between city pairs that can’t support larger jets.

The XLR also overlaps with Boeing’s long-planned New Midmarket Airplane or NMA. A decision on whether to move forward with that programme has been put on hold, as the US company focuses on the Max crisis.

IndiGo said it was also purchasing the baseline A320neo, priced at $110.6 million as of 2018, and the A321neo, without providing a breakdown between the variants.

The company will later select an engine for the planes. Its most recent turbine order saw a switch to the Leap model from GE and France’s Safran, following a series of glitches with a rival unit developed by Pratt & Whitney. Indian regulators have warned that planes with Pratt’s geared-turbofan design could be grounded if they’re not updated within two weeks. The order also strengthens Airbus’ position for single-aisle narrow-body jet in the Indian market. IndiGo’s rival GoAir and Vistara have also opted Airbus’ A320 family jets.

“We are delighted that IndiGo, one of our early launch customers for the A320neo, continues to build its future with Airbus, making the Indian airline the world’s biggest customer for the A320neo family,” said Guillaume Faury, Airbus chief executive officer.

“We are grateful for this strong vote of confidence as this order confirms the A320neo family the aircraft of choice in the most dynamic aviation growth markets.”