September 26, 2017 TnH Global 0

GoAir puts back into ops one A320 Neo after new engine deliveries

After budget carrier IndiGo, Wadia group-promoted GoAir has also received new engines from Pratt & Whitney for its grounded turbofan-powered Airbus A320Neo planes. The American engine maker’s PW1100 geared turbofan engines, powering these planes, are facing severe scrutiny from the Indian civil aviation authorities for the frequent glitches which have led to grounding of several aircraft both by IndiGo and GoAir.

GoAir has received two new engines from Pratt&Whitney this month and as a result the airline has made one of its two grounded A320Neos airworthy, a GoAir spokesperson said. GoAir was forced to ground two of its five A320Neos months back due to the engine troubles, the spokesperson said.

In February this year, one of the aircraft was grounded after its engine caught fire soon after take off from Delhi for Bengaluru with 193 people on board. The Mumbai-based airline currently has 25 planes in the fleet with five of them A320 Neos.

“Now only one of our such aircraft is on ground,” the spokesperson added. The new engines deliveries to the two Indian carriers commenced after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation asked P&W last month to expedite engine supplies following the grounding of these planes.

“If India is giving you (P&W) so much business, when the new engines come, you allocate them to India. they have promised that by end-September, the situation will be normal,” a senior DGCA official had said earlier.