Nine of the 60 Airbus A-320 New Engine Option (NEO) aircraft operating in India have been grounded, the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a preliminary report to the Ministry of Civil Aviation. This includes seven with IndiGo and two with GoAir aircraft, the DGCA said.

Air India also operates A-320 NEO aircraft but these are powered by engines manufactured by another company and hence their operations remain unaffected. The ones operated by IndiGo and GoAir are powered by Pratt and Whitney engines.

The report comes after Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Civil Aviation, directed the DGCA to submit a report on the grounding of Airbus A-320 NEO aircraft.

The Minister ordered the review a day after IndiGo, the Delhi based low-cost airline, issued a statement confirming that a few of its Airbus A-320 NEO aircraft had been “grounded proactively” due to non-availability of spares engines from Pratt and Whitney (PW). The airline did not say how many aircraft had been grounded due to engine trouble.

“These groundings are due to combustor distress found during routine scheduled boro scope inspection. These are all Block B combustors. As and when combustor distress is found beyond laid down limits, aircraft is removed from service for engine replacement,” the DGCA said in its report to the Ministry.

The report added that the A320NEOs inducted after March come with P&W engines fitted with Block C combustors which have a better life. “Engines coming from the shop are also fitted with Block C combustors,” the report added.

The report also pointed out that the manufacturer had taken measures which had significantly reduced engine problems adding that there were no safety concerns as such distress is found during routine scheduled boro scope inspections of these engines.

The DGCA pointed out it has introduced additional measures for inspection of combustion chamber at reduced intervals compared to the manufacturer’s guidelines.

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