India’s civil aviation regulator will conduct a special safety audit of the low-cost carrier IndiGo following concerns about the snag-ridden Pratt and Whitney (P&W) engines, which power the airline’s A320 Neo aircraft.
While an annual audit of IndiGo was due in April, a special Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) review will also be done of the airline’s operations and engineering departments.
“We confirm that there is currently a DGCA audit of IndiGo, which is combined with the annual main base audit. IndiGo has received a limited number of show-cause notices. IndiGo has responded accordingly and we can only comment on this matter after we have a discussion with the DGCA,” the airline said in a statement.
An airline source, however, dismissed reports that show-cause notices had been served on two senior officials of the airline.
Indian carriers IndiGo and GoAir have been inducting the P&W engine-powered A320 Neo aircraft since 2016. The former has 72 of these planes and the latter has 30.
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Problems in engine
There have been problems in different parts of the engine, including the combustion chamber, knife edge seal, lift-off seal, front hub corrosion and heating of oil near lift-off seal leading to smoke on board a flight, apart from vibration during climb.
The engine-maker maintains that the problems are taking place as the engines are new into operations.
