NEW DELHI: Civil aviation minister Suresh Prabhu has asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to submit a report on the status of Airbus A320neo aircraft, which are facing glitches in their Pratt & Whitney engines.
Prabhu asserted that the security of passengers is of paramount importance and it should not be compromised at any cost.
Low budget carrier IndiGo, which has 41 A320neos with P&W engines, has grounded some aircraft for which it attributed to non-availability of spare engines. In all, seven A320neos are not in operation. Of the total 19 such aircraft which it owns, GoAir has grounded two planes.
A senior ministry official said the DGCA has submitted details to the minister whereas a detailed report would be submitted later.
The aviation regulator said these groundings are due to combustor distress found during routine scheduled boroscope inspection. “These are all Block B combustors. As and when combustor distress is found beyond laid down limits, aircraft is removed from service for engine replacement. A320neos inducted after March 2018 are coming with P&W engines fitted with Block C combustors which has better life. Engines coming from shop are also fitted with Block C combustors,” it said.
The Directorate has also compared the A320neo with the battery issue on Boeing 787, saying these are two different scenarios. “In B787, battery exploded in the cabin making it a safety issue followed by worldwide grounding till modification was brought out by Boeing and approved by the FAA and implemented by operators.”
Regarding the corrective measures, the DGCA said the manufacturer has introduced modifications in neo engines. The Directorate and the airlines are also in touch with the manufacturer on the issue, it said.
Overall strength
60 A320neos with P&W engines are present in the country
41 such planes are with IndiGo
19 with GoAir
Not in operation
7 IndiGo A320 neos grounded
2 GoAir A320 neos grounded