NEW DELHI: American aerospace manufacturer Pratt & Whitney (P&W) on Thursday announced the appointment of Ashmita Sethi to the position of managing director for India. The fresh appointment comes at a time when P&W is facing challenges in the domestic and international markets over repeated technical glitches on its engine mounted over Airbus’ A320neo aircraft.
Indian carriers IndiGo and GoAir are facing a monumental deadline to replace all the unmodified P&W engines on their A320neo planes by January 31, as regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation has taken a stern approach to fix mid-air turbulences on planes. Recently, European Union Aviation Safety Agency also issued a fresh warning about a potential dual engine-failure on Airbus A320neo family planes with P&W engine.
In June this year, IndiGo moved away from P&W and placed a $20 billion order with CFM International for LEAP-1A engines to power its future fleet of 280 Airbus A320neo and A321neo planes, following a spate of technical snags.
“As P&W’s seniormost incountry leader, Sethi will provide strategic direction for the company’s growth and business goals in India, and drive all of Pratt & Whitney’s operations in India, including customer relations and support, the company’s Customer Training Centre in Hyderabad, communications and government affairs,” P&W stated. Sethi comes with more than 20 years of experience in the defence and aerospace industry.