Glitches in Pratt & Whitney's engines used by IndiGo and GoAir on their new Airbus A320neo planes have led to as many as 64 of them having to be removed for repair and replacement by the two airlines in the last year and a half on 32 aircraft, said people aware of the matter. That, according to experts, is more than six times the usual number, leading to hundreds of cancelled flights when the problem was at its height.
The costs incurred by the carriers would have offset the higher fuel-efficiency benefits of the geared turbofan (GTF) engines, they said.
Pratt & Whitney wouldn't comment on numbers but said it's been addressing the issue and turnaround time is much faster now. The airlines said only two planes are currently grounded.
IndiGo and GoAir are the earliest adopters and currently the largest users—accounting for more than 40%--of the GTF engine-powered Airbus A320neo planes. IndiGo currently operates 24 of them planes while GoAir has eight. The problems included longer startup times as well as production snags and delays. Those have been fixed. Most critical has been a carbon seal glitch while the latest issue relates to the combustor chamber lining, most severe in India.
28/10/17 Anirban Chowdhury/Economic Times
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The costs incurred by the carriers would have offset the higher fuel-efficiency benefits of the geared turbofan (GTF) engines, they said.
Pratt & Whitney wouldn't comment on numbers but said it's been addressing the issue and turnaround time is much faster now. The airlines said only two planes are currently grounded.
IndiGo and GoAir are the earliest adopters and currently the largest users—accounting for more than 40%--of the GTF engine-powered Airbus A320neo planes. IndiGo currently operates 24 of them planes while GoAir has eight. The problems included longer startup times as well as production snags and delays. Those have been fixed. Most critical has been a carbon seal glitch while the latest issue relates to the combustor chamber lining, most severe in India.
28/10/17 Anirban Chowdhury/Economic Times
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