IndiGo and Go Airlines India Ltd. use the same type of engine made by Pratt & Whitney that’s susceptible to mid-flight shutdowns. Yet IndiGo, one of Airbus SE’s biggest customers, is the only one to encounter turbine failures this year, drawing heavy scrutiny from the aviation regulator. The reason could be linked to how the budget airline flies. India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation told IndiGo’s operator, InterGlobe Aviation Ltd., that its practice of revving A320neo jets at full thrust right after takeoff could wear down the engines, people familiar with the matter said. By contrast, Go Air — India’s fourth-largest carrier by market share — typically uses a so-called alt-climb approach that applies less thrust, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing a private matter.
Climbing at full thrust can help planes burn less fuel, two of the people said. IndiGo has suffered 13 engine shutdowns related to low-pressure turbines during climbs this year, according to one of the people who was directly involved in an investigation where the DGCA ran a comparative analysis on how both airlines operate.
The issue has been costly. The DGCA this week said every time a new plane joins IndiGo’s fleet, it must ground one A320neo that hasn’t had its engines fixed. That essentially prevents Asia’s biggest budget airline by market value from adding new flights until the issue is addressed. IndiGo has 730 of the latest model on order — making it the world’s top A320neo customer — and wants to expand its network beyond cities such as Istanbul to destinations including London.
InterGlobe’s shares pared some of their gains to close 0.7% up at 1,444.20 rupees Friday in Mumbai. Airbus fell 0.6% to 132.76 euros as of 1:04 p.m. in Paris. InterGlobe shares have sunk over past two months while benchmark gained.
Pratt, a unit of United Technologies Corp., invested $10 billion to develop its fuel-efficient geared-turbofan engine for single-aisle jets like the A320neo, but it’s suffered repeated setbacks since its commercial introduction in 2016, including a cooling problem, durability issues and delivery delays. IndiGo shifted away from the engines in June with a $20 billion order to CFM International Inc., a joint venture between General Electric Co. and France’s Safran SA, although those deliveries have yet to start.
30/11/19 Bloomberg/Financial Express
To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline
Climbing at full thrust can help planes burn less fuel, two of the people said. IndiGo has suffered 13 engine shutdowns related to low-pressure turbines during climbs this year, according to one of the people who was directly involved in an investigation where the DGCA ran a comparative analysis on how both airlines operate.
The issue has been costly. The DGCA this week said every time a new plane joins IndiGo’s fleet, it must ground one A320neo that hasn’t had its engines fixed. That essentially prevents Asia’s biggest budget airline by market value from adding new flights until the issue is addressed. IndiGo has 730 of the latest model on order — making it the world’s top A320neo customer — and wants to expand its network beyond cities such as Istanbul to destinations including London.
InterGlobe’s shares pared some of their gains to close 0.7% up at 1,444.20 rupees Friday in Mumbai. Airbus fell 0.6% to 132.76 euros as of 1:04 p.m. in Paris. InterGlobe shares have sunk over past two months while benchmark gained.
Pratt, a unit of United Technologies Corp., invested $10 billion to develop its fuel-efficient geared-turbofan engine for single-aisle jets like the A320neo, but it’s suffered repeated setbacks since its commercial introduction in 2016, including a cooling problem, durability issues and delivery delays. IndiGo shifted away from the engines in June with a $20 billion order to CFM International Inc., a joint venture between General Electric Co. and France’s Safran SA, although those deliveries have yet to start.
30/11/19 Bloomberg/Financial Express
0 comments:
Post a Comment