35 Indigo aircraft will not be able to fly due to Pratt & Whitney engine problem
IndiGo said it expects at least 35 aircraft to be grounded during the March quarter next year due to powder metal issues in Pratt & Whitney engines. With nearly 40 aircraft of the country’s largest airline already grounded due to problems with Pratt & Whitney (P&W) engines, among others, IndiGo had a fleet of 334 aircraft at the end of September. Which will face capacity issues due to large number of grounded aircraft in the March quarter, while various measures are being taken to deal with the situation.
IndiGo said in a statement, this grounding will be incremental to the existing AOG. Earlier this year, P&W highlighted the impact of the powder metal issue that has affected its new generation GTF aircraft engines. IndiGo said that globally we understand that 600 to 700 aircraft will be removed between 2023 and 2026 and the removal of two-thirds of these aircraft is planned for 2023 and early 2024. The airline said it will continue to work with P&W to gather more information and address the situation and implement mitigation measures to reduce the impact of these AOGs on its capacity in the fourth quarter of the current financial year and beyond.
Announcing its September quarter results on November 3, IndiGo said it is in constant touch with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to address aircraft-related challenges. IndiGo CEO Peter Albers said on November 3, “We have taken several measures to meet our capacity guidance for this financial year.” Mitigation measures include taking aircraft on wet lease, retaining CEO aircraft and leasing additional CEO aircraft from the secondary market.
