Flights of budget carrier IndiGo were impacted pan India after the carrier’s servers snagged on Monday. “Our systems have been down across the network since morning. As a result, we are expecting our operations to be impacted across the airports,” IndiGo said in a statement. The airline further added that it is making efforts for a speedy resolution of the issue. Meanwhile, anxious customers have taken it to social media platforms to bring the attention of the concerned authorities to the delayed flights.
Meanwhile, IndiGo is also facing another crisis at home with the aviation watchdog ordering a quick resolution of its faulty Pratt and Whitney engines. Early last week, DGCA directed the budget carrier to fix all of its A320neo engines after multiple reports of mid-air stallings of IndiGo flights. The DGCA threatened grounding of an entire fleet of A320neo if they are not fixed before 31 January 2020, various news channels reported. IndiGo operates about 97 planes in the A320neo range.
Directorate General of Civil Aviation had earlier asked the airline to replace engines of 16 A320neos. The aviation regulator revised the number of planes to be fixed at immediate basis to 23 and has given the deadline of November 19. The issue with Pratt and Whitney engines is a long-standing issue in the domestic aviation industry and DGCA took cognizance of it last week, ordering IndiGo and GoAir to fix faulty engines. Both of these airlines have been given a 15-day period to replace the engines, failing which, the A320neos of these airlines are bound to be grounded. Three of IndiGo’s planes, which are fitted with Pratt and Whitney engines, stalled on October 24, 25 and 26, and were brought back to their departure ports. The airline has grounded many planes in the past as well.
IndiGo’s woes with Pratt & Whitney-powered A320neo aircraft is not new and has been present for several years now. The airline now runs about half of the 97 Neo fleet with modified engines; the rest still run on faulty P&Ws.