Saturday, October 03, 2015

Harsh Indian weather takes toll on airlines' new engines

New Delhi: India's harsh environmental conditions are costing airlines dear as they switch over to latest engines for their newest aircraft with the aim of getting improved fuel efficiency. Confused? The latest engines are designed for the benign environment of the west and the heat and dust of India makes them wear out faster, necessitating earlier-then-expected "coming off wings" for shop visits for repair and overhaul.

India is now ranked along with Gulf and parts of China for having the harshest environment in which an aircraft engine operates.

A senior Air India official said, "Earlier, an engine would come off wings for shop visits (regular maintenance) after doing 16,000 cycles (a cycle being one take off and landing), something that would get completed in four to five years. Now, engines come off the wings after 8,000 to 10,000 cycles only . The shop visit of each engine costs about $3.3 million. The new-gen engines are very sensitive." An engine coming off earlier means increased expenses for airlines.
03/10/15 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India
To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline