IndiGo, GoAir get more time to replace engines

India’s civil aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday extended till 24 November the deadline to replace engines on 36 Airbus A320Neo planes operated by InterGlobe Aviation Ltd-controlled IndiGo, and Wadia Group-owned GoAir, a senior official of the agency said.

The DGCA had earlier set 19 November as the deadline for replacing engines with modified low pressure turbines (LPTs).

"GoAir has so far placed modified engines on nine aircraft out of 13 while IndiGo has placed modified engines on 15 of the 23 aircraft (that the DGCA had asked to modify)," the DGCA official said.

"Needless to say that this is below expectation. Nonetheless as the task is onerous and availability of such engines is an issue, the DGCA has now asked the airlines to complete the task of engine replacement by 24 November," the official said.

IndiGo's deadline to replace all engines with modified LPTs remains 31 January, 2020, he added. Non-adherence of the directive will lead to grounding of the aircraft after lapse of the deadline, the official said.

The DGCA had on 1 November directed budget carrier IndiGo to replace Pratt and Whitney (P&W) engines with modified LPTs on 97 Airbus A320neo aircraft by January 2020 following a series of engine incidents.

Only IndiGo and GoAir operate P&W-powered A320neo family aircraft in India.

GoAir has 38 Airbus A320Neo aircraft, while IndiGo has 98 A320 family aircraft, including 91 A320Neos and seven A321Neos. All these aircraft are powered by P&W engines.