The Indian aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), is set to give approval to the Pratt & Whitney engines used on the A320neo. Operated primarily by carriers IndiGo and GoAir, the engines had been involved in a number of incidents over the past year, causing inflight shutdowns.
The DGCA had placed restrictions on airlines operating A320neos without the required engine replacements. Airlines were not allowed to operate flights more than 60 minutes away from a suitable airport for an emergency landing. This meant airlines were forced to either operate such flights with older A320ceo aircraft or to take a longer route in order to comply with the requirement.
Nevertheless, IndiGo and GoAir have been busy revamping their fleets and are now set to secure the EDTO approval to resume longer flights. EDTO stands for Extended Diversion Time Operations and is the equivalent of ETOPS, although the latter is the more commonly used term.
To remove the restrictions, the DCGA has requested IndiGo performs a validation flight of 90 minutes in duration, using either the A320neo or A321neo. Upon successful completion of this flight, the restrictions should be removed, allowing IndiGo and GoAir to begin operating these aircraft normally.
According to a report in Business Standard, IndiGo has replaced all the affected engines on its aircraft. GoAir is yet to undertake replacements on around 16 engines, but due to the current downturn in travel, it does not need to operate these aircraft at the present time.
27/11/20 Joanna Bailey/Simple Flying
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