Pratt & Whitney Engine Issue Forces IndiGo to Ground 35 Airbus A320 Planes in Q4

IndiGo, India’s largest airline, is facing a major challenge as it expects to ground at least 35 planes in the fourth quarter of the current fiscal year due to a problem with the Pratt & Whitney engines. This is in addition to the nearly 40 planes that are already on the ground due to other issues with the same engines.

The problem is related to the powder metal issue that has affected the new generation GTF aircraft engine, which powers many of IndiGo’s Airbus A320 family of planes. According to Pratt & Whitney, this issue requires accelerated inspections and shop visits for around 600 to 700 engines globally, most of which are planned for 2023 and early 2024.

IndiGo said that it has received additional information from Pratt & Whitney and based on its preliminary assessment, it anticipates that around 35 planes will be out of service in the January-March quarter of 2023-24. The airline said that it will continue to work with the engine maker to address the situation and implement mitigation measures to minimize the impact of these groundings on its capacity and operations.

IndiGo also confirmed its capacity guidance for the third quarter of the current fiscal year and the entire fiscal year 2023-24, saying that it expects to grow in the north of mid-teens. The airline said that it has taken proactive measures to cope with the engine issue, such as taking planes on wet lease, retaining older planes, and leasing additional planes from the secondary market.

IndiGo has a fleet of 334 planes, of which more than 130 are powered by Pratt & Whitney engines. The airline operates more than 1,500 daily flights to 115 destinations, both domestic and international. The airline reported a net profit of ₹188.9 crore for the July-September quarter of 2023-24, compared to a net loss of ₹1,583.3 crore in the same quarter of the previous year.

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, ndtv.com