IndiGo asks pilots to stop pushing Airbus engines to limit after shutdowns

IndiGo is the world's top A320neo customer. It has 730 of the latest model on order and wants to expand its network.

Business Standard : IndiGo has told its pilots to stop pushing engines on its new Airbus SE jets to the limit when the planes are climbing, after India’s aviation regulator said the practice may have contributed to turbines failing in the air.

All the budget airline’s A320neo aircraft now use a lower thrust setting following take off, according to a spokeswoman from IndiGo, which has suffered 13 engine shutdowns during ascents this year. The decision was taken “in order to make every possible effort to minimize exposure of engines,” she wrote in an email, adding that manufacturer Pratt & Whitney stated there’s no evidence of a connection between climbing procedure and engine incidents.

Ascending at maximum power can help burn less fuel as it takes less time to reach cruising altitude. IndiGo made the switch only after India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation found in a probe—first reported by Bloomberg on Friday—that full-thrust climbs could wear down the engines and probably contributed to the shutdowns, people familiar with the matter said earlier.

IndiGo instructed pilots of the A320neo-family of jets last month to use no more than 93% thrust on the Pratt engines until they reach 25,000 feet (7,622 meters), the people said. They asked not to be identified because the change hadn’t been made public.

The airline spokeswoman said the change had “hardly any difference” in day to day operations, beyond taking two to three minutes longer for aircraft to reach optimum flight level due to lower thrust settings. “Difference in fuel consumption is marginal,” she said.

IndiGo, operated by InterGlobe Aviation Ltd., is among the world’s fastest-growing carriers. Smaller rival Go Airlines India Ltd., which uses the same Pratt engine, typically uses the more gentle alt-climb approach now employed by IndiGo and hasn’t faced similar engines failures, people familiar with the matter have said.

Pratt representatives didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment, while the DGCA declined to comment on what it described as an internal issue for IndiGo. Airbus declined to comment on its customers’ operations.

DGCA tells IndiGo to replace unmodified P&W engines in Neo aircraft

People in the know said the move would impact around 110 engines, virtually putting a spanner on the expansion plans of IndiGo - counted among the fastest growing airlines in the world.

The aviation regulator on Monday barred the country’s largest carrier, IndiGo, from operating Airbus A320 and 321 Neo aircraft having turbine blades built with titanium, which is prone to damage leading to mid-air engine shut down. The airline will have to replace such aircraft with those having sturdier engine turbine blades built with nickel-chromium alloy, according to a directive issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

People in the know said the move would impact around 110 engines, virtually putting a spanner on the expansion plans of IndiGo — counted among the fastest growing airlines in the world. The engines manufactured by Pratt & Whitney have been facing issues since induction in 2016.

IndiGo, in the last one year, has faced 13 such incidents including four incidents in a single week in October.

The airline will now have to slow down launching new routes, adding frequency as the new aircraft will be used to replace the grounded aircraft.

The extent of disruption will depend on how fast Pratt & Whitney can deliver the new engines but industry sources suggested that replacing 109 engines will impact IndiGo’s operations for close to a year. The airline during its post-results call had said that it intends to grow capacity by 25 per cent.

“Every aircraft that is added to the existing fleet should lead to one of those with unmodified engines to be grounded and the new aircraft may be operated on the same schedule as was being operated by the grounded aircraft,” a DGCA statement said.

Currently, the airline has 98 A320 and 321 Neo aircraft, of which 52 have modified engine blades. An IndiGo spokesperson, however, said as of now IndiGo was not changing any schedule. “The current schedule remains intact. The airline is working with Pratt and Whitney and Airbus to adjust the flow of engines,” the spokesperson said.

The direction from the regulator comes after a review meeting on Monday. DGCA has found that IndiGo was unable to convince the regulator that it would be able to replace all the unmodified engines by January 31, 2020 — a deadline fixed earlier.

Business Standard