Following the engine manufacturer’s recent announcement that there were “material anomalies” on the PW1100G engines worldwide, affecting over 200 engines, this is what has happened. By stating on Thursday that the impact on IndiGo, the largest Indian passenger airline, will be “minimal,” the Indian aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) put an end to rumors that the Indian civil aviation sector could be impacted due to problems faced by engine maker Pratt & Whitney (P&W).
The airline and the customers who were supposed to bear the brunt are probably relieved by the announcement. This follows the engine manufacturer’s previous announcement that there were “material anomalies” affecting 200 engines or so worldwide on the PW1100G engines. Prior to September 15, 2023, P&W provided the Service Instructions (SI) stating the serial numbers of the engine series that must be removed in order to execute the “Angle Ultrasonic Scan Inspection” (AUSI) during the shop visit.
Out of a total of 13 affected engines (of which 11 are currently non-operational), the senior DGCA official said, “The impact of this Service Instruction on the fleet of Indigo, as ascertained from them, is minimal and only two engines which are currently operational in their fleet would be required to be removed.” The official continued, “This suggests that there would be little to no impact on the capacity of Indian carriers during the ensuing high season.” Due to a “rare condition” in the powdered metal used to make some of the engines’ high-pressure turbine discs, P&W had previously disclosed that hundreds of its PW1100G engines would need to be returned and examined for microscopic cracks.
According to sources, 1,200 of its engines will need to be restored to their original locations and tested throughout the course of the following year: 200 before the end of this summer, then 1,000 more before September 2024. The A320neo and A321neo are frequently powered by the PW1100G engine, also referred to as the GTF (geared turbofan) engine. The widely utilized narrow body planes are employed all over the world, and IndiGo was thought to be one of the airlines most adversely affected.
