5 IndiGo aircraft may require an engine change by September

27 Jul 2023 , 10:45 AM

Approximately five IndiGo aircraft engines will require emergency inspection due to a technical problem with Pratt and Whitney’s (P&W) geared turbofan engines.

Six of the airline’s aircraft are already grounded owing to a paucity of replacement parts, according to news reports, even though 11 of the aircraft have been identified for inspection by September.

47 of the airline’s 136 P&W-equipped aircraft are grounded as a result of maintenance work, a lack of engines, and spare parts.

The problem involves contamination of a metal powder used to make specific engine parts, which could shorten the life of such engines. As a result, the engines must be disassembled and evaluated in the maintenance facility owned by the engine manufacturer. By the middle of September, P&W anticipates removing about 200 PW1100 engines for better inspection.

Phases of the inspection will be carried out. By the middle of September, 200 engines must be removed, but by the same date in 2024, almost 1,000 engines must be inspected. The September deadline will affect approximately five more IndiGo planes. Despite some interruptions, they can be minimized thanks to the arrival of new aircraft, the reports said.

IndiGo switched to CFM in 2017—the other engine choice offered for A320Neo aircraft. Although it has retired a number of aircraft with P&W engines, there are still 136 still in the fleet.

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