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More than 50 aircraft of aviation companies Indigo and GoFirst are grounded these days due to Pratt & Whitney (P&W) engine problems. Because of this, airline companies are being forced to take aircraft on lease.
Indigo is looking at various options to deal with this problem. These include options to extend the lease period, re-fleet the aircraft and lease the aircraft with crew.
spare parts supply problem
Indeed, the supply of Pratt & Whitney engine parts remains a problem because of the Russia-Ukraine war. Due to this the engines are not being maintained. Therefore many planes have been forced to stand.
A senior government official told the agency that at least 25 aircraft each of Indigo and GoFirst airlines were forced to be grounded due to P&W engine problems. The engine maker is also unable to deliver on time due to supply chain issues.
expected to be resolved by the end of the year
A Pratt & Whitney spokesperson did not specify the number of planes affected but said it expected supply pressure to ease by the end of the year. According to flight-tracking website flightradar24.com, as on February 26, a total of 39 IndiGo aircraft were grounded. These include 28 aircraft of the A320 Neo class and 11 aircraft of the A321 class.
IndiGo has a fleet of over 300 aircraft for which engines are supplied by P&W and CFM. GoFirst Airline, on the other hand, has around 60 aircraft in its fleet and P&W is its sole engine supplier. In this regard, an Indigo spokesperson said that the airline is in touch with its original equipment manufacturer partners to ensure that its flight network and operations remain operational.