Budget passenger carrier IndiGo airlines has grounded some of its A320 Neo aircraft citing non-availability of spare engines from aerospace manufacturer Pratt and Whitney.

“IndiGo confirms that a few A320 Neo aircraft have been grounded proactively due to non-availability of spare engines from Pratt and Whitney,” the company said in a statement.

Advertisement

“The release of additional spare engines has been initiated by PW so that all aircraft can be expected to be in service soon. These engine changes are pre-planned and are as per the norms prescribed by the regulator to ensure safe operations,” it added.

The airline, however, claims the move has not impacted its operations.

On August 10, IndiGo had to reportedly ground a brand new A320 Neo plane that had been inducted into the airline’s fleet only a couple of weeks ago.

According to a PTI report, IndiGo has had to periodically ground its Airbus A320 Neo aircraft since July because of the engine issue. The airline’s Thursday statement came amid reports that the number of grounded aircraft touched nine on August 20.

At present, IndiGo has a fleet of over 170 aircraft, including 40 A320 Neo planes.

GoAir too flies some A320 Neo planes. On the directions of the aviation regulator, after a series of mid-air shutdowns were reported by the two carriers, as many as 11 IndiGo planes and three GoAir aircraft were grounded due to P&W engine issues between February and March 2018.

(With agency inputs)