IndiGo foresees approximately 35 aircraft remaining grounded during the January to March quarter of 2023-24 due to issues with GTF engines provided by Pratt & Whitney.
In a press release, IndiGo noted that its assessment is based on information received from the engine manufacturer, Pratt & Whitney. These 35 aircraft, slated for grounding starting in January, will add to the aircraft already grounded by IndiGo due to supply chain disruptions.
Earlier this year, Pratt & Whitney reported manufacturing issues with their GTF engines. Globally, a significant number of engines, approximately between 600 and 700, are scheduled for early inspections. The root of the issues was traced back to the powdered metal used in Pratt & Whitney’s GTF engine family. These defects may eventually lead to cracks appearing in the turbomachinery components of the engines.
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The GTF engines are one of the powerplants used in Airbus A320neo aircraft. The other option is provided by CFM with their Leap-1a engine. Pratt & Whitney estimated that an average of 350 A320 family aircraft will be grounded each year until 2026.
«We anticipate the number of grounded aircraft to be around thirty-five during the period of January to March 2024 due to the acceleration in engine retirements. These groundings will be in addition to the current ones,» stated IndiGo in a release.
The airline indicated that it has already implemented various measures to mitigate the impact of grounded aircraft on its operation. IndiGo currently operates 176 A320neo aircraft as part of its fleet of 334 aircraft; of these, more than 40 are currently grounded due to issues with Pratt & Whitney engines.
