5 IndiGo aircraft will need engine change by September due to Pratt & Whitney issue: Sources

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

IndiGo aircraft will need immediate examination due to a technical issue that has cropped up with Pratt and Whitney’s (P&W) geared turbofan engines. People aware of the development said that while 11 aircraft of the airline have been identified for examination by September, six are already grounded due to lack of spares. While the airline has 136 aircraft in its fleet fitted with P&W engines, 47 aircraft are grounded due to maintenance work, and shortage of engines and spares.

“We are in receipt of the information from the OEM Pratt and Whitney (P&W) 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," an IndiGo spokesperson said. Queries sent to Go First were not responded to.

The issue relates to contamination of a powdered metal used to manufacture certain engine parts which may reduce the life of those engines. Hence the engines need to be disassembled and examined at the engine maker’s own maintenance shop. P&W has forecasted that by mid-September that approximately 200 PW1100 engines will be removed for enhanced inspection.

The inspection will be done in phases. While 200 engines will have to be removed by mid-September, around 1,000 engines will have to be examined by the middle of 2024. “The September deadline will impact around five additional IndiGo aircraft.

While there will be some disruptions, it can be mitigated due to delivery of new aircraft,” a person said. In 2017, IndiGo had shifted to CFM — the other engine option available for A320Neo aircraft. While it has retired multiple aircraft fitted with P&W engines, it still has 136 remaining in the fleet.