IndiGo grounds another plane; doubts raised on 31 A320neos
Manju.V@timesgroup.com 19.03.2018
Mumbai: Less than a week after the Indian aviation regulator singled out eleven A320neos belonging to IndiGo and GoAir for grounding over safety concerns, another A320neo was pulled out of service by IndiGo on Sunday due to an engine problem. The latest grounding brings to question the reliability of the 31 Pratt and Whitney engined A320neos currently operational in India.
The A320 neo aircraft (registration number VT-ITX) which operated the Bengaluru-Delhi Indigo flight 6E 132, landed in Delhi at 8.45 am. According to FlightRadar24, a live flight-tracking website, it has stayed on ground since. An IndiGo spokesman said: “An A320 neo aircraft t was proactively withdrawn in Delhi for a maintenance check to attend to a pilot reported defect. These maintenance checks are part of a comprehensive program of early detection.’’ In the past one week, this is the third technical problems involving a Pratt and Whitney (PW) 1100 engine powered Indi-Go A320neo aircraft. The spokesperson did not comment on the other two incidents. The directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) was not available for comment.
Referring to the Sunday grounding, IndiGo spokesman said: “During the maintenance check, metal chips were observed on left engine, number 3 bearing chip detector which is a known concern on the Neo engine. At IndiGo, safety of our passengers and aircraft is of utmost importance.”
On Sunday, advocate Yeshwant Shenoy, who filed a petition last week in the Delhi high court praying for grounding of the entire PW1100 powered A320neo fleet, sent a letter to IndiGo and the ministry of civil aviation officials. With reference to the Sunday grounding, the letter said: “If the engines were as safe as the DGCA pointed out, then why did such an incident happen?’’ It added that “pilots are scared and take minute inspections before taking off. They are under tremendous stress while operating A320neos.’’
Manju.V@timesgroup.com 19.03.2018
Mumbai: Less than a week after the Indian aviation regulator singled out eleven A320neos belonging to IndiGo and GoAir for grounding over safety concerns, another A320neo was pulled out of service by IndiGo on Sunday due to an engine problem. The latest grounding brings to question the reliability of the 31 Pratt and Whitney engined A320neos currently operational in India.
The A320 neo aircraft (registration number VT-ITX) which operated the Bengaluru-Delhi Indigo flight 6E 132, landed in Delhi at 8.45 am. According to FlightRadar24, a live flight-tracking website, it has stayed on ground since. An IndiGo spokesman said: “An A320 neo aircraft t was proactively withdrawn in Delhi for a maintenance check to attend to a pilot reported defect. These maintenance checks are part of a comprehensive program of early detection.’’ In the past one week, this is the third technical problems involving a Pratt and Whitney (PW) 1100 engine powered Indi-Go A320neo aircraft. The spokesperson did not comment on the other two incidents. The directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) was not available for comment.
Referring to the Sunday grounding, IndiGo spokesman said: “During the maintenance check, metal chips were observed on left engine, number 3 bearing chip detector which is a known concern on the Neo engine. At IndiGo, safety of our passengers and aircraft is of utmost importance.”
On Sunday, advocate Yeshwant Shenoy, who filed a petition last week in the Delhi high court praying for grounding of the entire PW1100 powered A320neo fleet, sent a letter to IndiGo and the ministry of civil aviation officials. With reference to the Sunday grounding, the letter said: “If the engines were as safe as the DGCA pointed out, then why did such an incident happen?’’ It added that “pilots are scared and take minute inspections before taking off. They are under tremendous stress while operating A320neos.’’
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