India’s Go First looking to sue Pratt & Whitney over engine issues

India-based low-cost carrier Go First is looking to take Pratt & Whitney, the manufacturer of the PW1100G engine, to court, after the company refused to compensate the airline over engine-related problems.

According to a report by India’s The Economic Times, Go First has had to deal with a lacklustre performance by the PW1100G engine, with engines having to be removed from the wing at 7,000 hours. That number is “way lower than the projected life of 12,000 hours,” according to a person familiar with the matter at Go First, who was quoted by The Economic Times. According to the source, problems have continued to resurface, resulting in the unscheduled removal of engines that, in turn, has resulted in operations and flights being disrupted.

Ch-aviation.com data shows that out of the airline’s 54 Airbus A320neo aircraft, 26 are currently inactive. Go First has a total of 118 aircraft engines for its A320ceo/A320neo fleet, with 10 CFM International CFM56-5B powering the A320ceos, while 108 power plants are on the wings of the 54 A320neos.

IndiGo, another Indian airline that has an all-A320neo family fleet, has also been experiencing engine-related operational issues. Out of its 201 Airbus A320neo and A321neo aircraft, 39 are grounded. In terms of engines, out of a total of 606 aircraft engines, 278 are the PW1100G.