Pieter Elbers, the chief executive officer of IndiGo, the biggest airline in India, said on Monday that the company is in continuous communication with Pratt & Whitney (PW) about engine problems that result in aircraft grounding.
“We’re in continual communication with Pratt and Whitney to find out when we’ll get clarification about the stated powder metal problem. In order to ensure that we can continue to meet the capacity guidance, he stated, “We have been very transparent and consistent in our communication here. On the one hand, we are getting information from PW, and on the other hand, we are working on mitigating measures. How can we have the supply chain up and running?”
Elbers stated, “As an operator we would only encourage to have manufacturers close to us, it would be easier to communicate, align, and share experiences.” In response to a question concerning the proposal made by India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), to the engine maker, to establish a maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) in Asia in order to expedite the process of delivering engines to the airline,
This follows the airline’s announcement on Friday that it anticipates further A320neo aircraft groundings starting in 2019.
49 of the airline’s aircraft are now grounded as a result of P&W engine problems. Out of its fleet of 334 aircraft, it runs 176 A320neo.
PW discovered an uncommon powder metal issue in July, and by mid-September, 200 engines needed to undergo expedited examinations. PW, however, revised its estimate in September, stating that extensive quality checks will be necessary for the 600–700 engines on Airbus A320neo aircraft between 2023 and 2026.
Consequently, the airline said on Friday that the number of groundings resulting from an earlier problem was in the 40s and that the number of groundings resulting from the powder metal issue would be a “incremental number” starting in January 2024.
Flying to 115 locations, the airline reported a net profit of Rs. 188.9 crore during the second quarter of 2023–24, which is often a lean time for Indian carriers. The same quarter last year had a loss of Rs. 1583 crore for the firm.
Elbers said that the airline is on pace to reach its goal of flying 100 million passengers and would, nonetheless, continue to grow its network during the current fiscal year.
In the current fiscal year, he said, the airline with 970 aircraft on order would begin operating flights to Bali and Medina.
The airline CEO addressed the mounting concerns about pilot tiredness and said that a careful, comprehensive, and in-depth approach is required. “We are paying attention to the input about pilot tiredness.When asked how the airline is attempting to resolve the issue, he said, “We will take international experience, what is the framework for working hours in the EU, the US… how does it compare to the Indian framework..”
