India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the country’s regulatory body, expressed concern after sixty Airbus A320 family aircraft equipped with Pratt & Whitney engines were grounded.
The situation is a result of supply chain problems and delays in maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) work on the powerplants.
As reported by the Hindustan Times, 36 IndiGo aircraft and 24 Go First airplanes remain grounded.
See also: IndiGo grounded thirty aircraft due to supply chain problems
Pratt & Whitney engine problems hit Indian airlines particularly hard
The Airbus A320 family is one of the most widely used by Indian airlines, so the current problems particularly affect the domestic market. Currently, activity and competition are intensifying, with demand reaching levels close to those seen in 2019. Projections indicate that the trend will continue for the foreseeable future.
Pratt & Whitney said it is actively working to optimise supply chain performance and spare parts availability at its various facilities. The company has three maintenance centres in Asia, located in China, Japan and Singapore.
A new facility in the region would reduce costs and shipping times, thereby optimising processes. According to a Pratt & Whitney representative quoted by the Hindustan Times, the possibility of establishing a centre in India to support the large fleet of engines it manufactures in the country was discussed in previous meetings, although concrete steps in this direction have not yet been confirmed.
Airbus A320 family in India
Recent large orders from local operators have consolidated the European manufacturer’s dominance in India over Boeing, its main competitor.
There, IndiGo, GO First, Vistara, Air India and Air Asia India operate nearly half a thousand aircraft produced by Airbus. Today, all of them are A320 family variants.
Pratt & Whitney operates the Customer Training Centre (CTC) in Hyderabad, where specialised Airbus A320 engine training is provided to engineers and technicians from domestic and foreign airlines.
See also: IndiGo and Airbus negotiate an order for «several hundred aircraft»
