IndiGo, India's largest airline, is facing a significant challenge as it expects at least 35 of its planes to be grounded due to issues with Pratt & Whitney (P&W) engines. This grounding is expected to occur during the March quarter of next year. The airline already has nearly 40 aircraft on the ground due to other issues with the P&W engines. The grounding of these aircraft is due to a powder metal issue with the engines. This problem has led to an increase in shop floor visits for inspections and maintenance.
.gif)
The grounding of these aircraft will be incremental to the current Aircraft on Ground (AOG) and is expected to lead to capacity issues in the March quarter. Despite these challenges, IndiGo is taking various measures to address the situation. To mitigate the impact of these groundings on its capacity in the fourth quarter of the current fiscal year and beyond, IndiGo is planning to lease more aircraft. The airline has already signed a lease agreement for 10 A320neos with BOC Aviation Limited, all of which will be delivered this year.
In addition to leasing more aircraft, IndiGo has also retained several older A320ceos that were due to retire and extended the lease of more than 30 other planes in its fleet. These measures are being taken in light of the ongoing engine issues.
Despite these challenges, IndiGo remains confident in meeting its long-term capacity guidance¹. The airline is also in constant touch with the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) to navigate the challenges related to aircraft. This issue is not unique to IndiGo. Several airlines globally have had to ground planes due to the same issues with PW1100G engines. It remains to be seen how IndiGo and other airlines navigate these challenges in the coming months.
