The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has banned IndiGo and GoAir from flying Airbus A320neo aircraft fitted with Pratt & Whitney engines to Port Blair.
Pratt & Whitney engines have faced glitches, including mid-air shutdowns, forcing the two carriers to ground aircraft in some instances, reported Mint.
The aviation watchdog barred the airlines from operating such aircraft to Port Blair since the nearest landing place in case of an emergency is more than an hour away, PTI reported, quoting an unidentified official.
The DGCA’s statement said the Ministry of Civil Aviation had held a meeting on January 8 when it reviewed the performance of Airbus A320 aircraft fitted with Pratt & Whitney 1100 series engines.
The statement said InterGlobe Aviation, which runs IndiGo, and GoAir have been directed to identify and correct the glitches. The DGCA has asked the airlines to create awareness among cabin and cockpit crew about “odour, burning smell, smoke (even if slightest) during approach phase” and report it to the cockpit crew for necessary action. All such cases in the cabin should be recorded for necessary investigation, the statement said.
Meanwhile, Pratt & Whitney has undertaken a “root cause” analysis of a glitch in the main gearbox of its engines, Mint reported on Thursday.
“We are doing an intensive investigation,” said Mark Cryan, vice-president, Customers (India, Middle East and Africa), for commercial engines at the company. “We hope to get the root cause report very, very soon, probably in a week’s time.”
On December 23, an A320neo aircraft of IndiGo flying between Port Blair and Kolkata had suffered an engine failure and made an emergency landing in Port Blair. The aircraft was “withdrawn from service” for further checks, according to IndiGo.
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