NEW DELHI: With no resolution in sight to Pratt & Whitney (PW) engine woes, the DGCA has asked the company to set up a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in India at the earliest.
“We have asked PW to have an MRO in India. They need to give the required importance to Indian carriers given the size of the fleet, which is simply very large,” said a DGCA source.A PW team had met DGCA officials last week.
While new generation PW engines for the Airbus A320neo planes — used by IndiGo and erstwhile GoAir — have been having a series of issues for last 5-6 years now, the worst impact is likely to be felt soon, with hundreds of engines going to be grounded for checks globally. On Friday, IndiGo — which already has about 50 planes awaiting PW replacement engines — said it expected a high number of planes to be grounded from early next year. GoAir, which collapsed this summer, had squarely blamed PW for its shutting down.Asked if PW will open its MRO facility in India, its president and country head Ashmita Sethi told TOI: “India is a priority country for us. We are making major investments and increasing our footprint here. We will determine the most effective way to support our customers here. Yes, we are open to exploring MRO interest in India and that would be based on many factors, including business case, competitive labor, and imports of parts.”
However, things could get a lot worse before they improve. The engine-maker recently warned that “600 to 700 engines will be removed for shop visits between 2023 and 2026 (and) the accelerated removals and incremental shop visits will result in higher aircraft on ground”.
The “accelerated removals” have become necessary as PW detected “powder metal contamination” that can lead to some engine components cracking.
As the world’s biggest customer for A320 family aircraft, IndiGo could be badly hit. A capacity crunch in the skies will mean fares skyrocketing — something witnessed this summer when GoAir collapsed.
Clearly, Indian authorities are now running out of patience with the aircraft engine maker. “Things are simply not improving at the PW end. They have said visibility on the impact of their latest issue will be provided in the next few days. There is simply too much uncertainty. PW must act quickly and show some visible improvement on the ground,” said a source.
“We have asked PW to have an MRO in India. They need to give the required importance to Indian carriers given the size of the fleet, which is simply very large,” said a DGCA source.A PW team had met DGCA officials last week.
While new generation PW engines for the Airbus A320neo planes — used by IndiGo and erstwhile GoAir — have been having a series of issues for last 5-6 years now, the worst impact is likely to be felt soon, with hundreds of engines going to be grounded for checks globally. On Friday, IndiGo — which already has about 50 planes awaiting PW replacement engines — said it expected a high number of planes to be grounded from early next year. GoAir, which collapsed this summer, had squarely blamed PW for its shutting down.Asked if PW will open its MRO facility in India, its president and country head Ashmita Sethi told TOI: “India is a priority country for us. We are making major investments and increasing our footprint here. We will determine the most effective way to support our customers here. Yes, we are open to exploring MRO interest in India and that would be based on many factors, including business case, competitive labor, and imports of parts.”
However, things could get a lot worse before they improve. The engine-maker recently warned that “600 to 700 engines will be removed for shop visits between 2023 and 2026 (and) the accelerated removals and incremental shop visits will result in higher aircraft on ground”.
The “accelerated removals” have become necessary as PW detected “powder metal contamination” that can lead to some engine components cracking.
As the world’s biggest customer for A320 family aircraft, IndiGo could be badly hit. A capacity crunch in the skies will mean fares skyrocketing — something witnessed this summer when GoAir collapsed.
Clearly, Indian authorities are now running out of patience with the aircraft engine maker. “Things are simply not improving at the PW end. They have said visibility on the impact of their latest issue will be provided in the next few days. There is simply too much uncertainty. PW must act quickly and show some visible improvement on the ground,” said a source.
