IndiGo, India’s biggest airline, said on July 26 that it is working closely with engine supplier Pratt & Whitney (P&W) to assess and minimise any potential impact to its fleet.
On Tuesday P&W warned that more than 1000 engines must be removed from Airbus planes and checked for cracks. P&W parent company said that a “rare condition” in powdered metal meant that 1,200 of more than 3,000 engines, powering the Airbus A320neo aircraft between 2015 and 2021, might have to be removed from the planes for inspection.
It was not immediately known how many of such planes of IndiGo could be impacted because of this call. But estimates suggest that the airline has around 188 A320-type in its fleet, of which around 27 are grounded. The average age of the A320 fleet is 4.4 years.
“We are in receipt of the information from Pratt & Whitney regarding the outcome of the latest inspection of their engine. We are working closely with P&W to assess and minimise any potential impact to our fleet,” said IndiGo in a statement.
“As a result of this rare condition in powdered metal, P&W instituted enhanced inspections at scheduled shop visits. However, based on very recent learnings from these inspections, P&W has now determined that the timing of these shop visits needs to be accelerated,” Christopher Calio, President, RTX, the parent company of P&W.
IndiGo’s stock reacted negatively to the news, closing 1.73% lower on the BSE on July 26 at Rs 2538.8 as against its previous day’s close when the Sensex closed 0.53% higher.
In June, IndiGo placed orders for 500 Airbus planes including 125 units of the A320neo. Along with A321neo, these are to be delivered between 2030 and 2035. P&W added that the latest crisis does not impact future deliveries.
“Current production of powdered metal parts is not impacted, and P&W will continue to deliver both new engines and new spare parts across all product lines,” Calio added.