The Bombay High Court on Friday asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to publicise the steps being taken to check if Pratt and Whitney 1100 engines, which power Airbus A320neo aircraft, are safe for flying, PTI reported. A bench of Justices Naresh Patil and GS Kulkarni told the regulatory body that grounding a few aircraft and following the directives of the European Air Safety Authority were not enough.
“Are you merely relying upon the directive and certification issued by the EASA, or, have you conducted your own study to ensure that all engines, even those that have not been flagged by the EASA, are absolutely safe?” the court asked.
The DGCA grounded 11 aircraft, eight from IndiGo’s fleet and three from GoAir’s, On March 13, after an IndiGo A320neo aircraft suffered an engine failure mid-air and was forced to make an emergency landing at Ahmedabad airport. The aviation authority then asked IndiGo and GoAir not to refit these engines with spare parts in their inventory. The two airlines have cancelled more than 600 flights scheduled till March-end.
The High Court issued the directive after senior advocate Janak Dwarkadas, IndiGo’s counsel, told the bench that the airline was replacing all affected engines with “better and new” engines. “However, there is a sort of fear psychosis among passengers now,” he claimed. “They keep asking if the aircraft has a P&W engine. This is because the DGCA is not communicating well with the passengers.” The court was hearing a public interest litigation petition.
The Delhi High Court on March 20 asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to file an affidavit on the safety and airworthiness of the Airbus A320neo planes. The court will hear the case next on April 13.
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