IndiGo, GoAir cancel around 70 flights
IndiGo, GoAir to go in for short-term lease of old aircraft
Around 70 flights of IndiGo and GoAir were cancelled on Tuesday as the two airlines were asked to ground faulty aircraft by the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation. IndiGo cancelled 47 flights and GoAir cancelled 18 flights.
IndiGo and GoAir cancelled around 70 more flights on Tuesday, a day after it grounded 11 planes due to a recurring malfunction in the engines. The airlines said affected passengers would be accommodated in other aircraft, though a change in schedule was likely.
The problem stems from a component in certain engines manufactured by Pratt & Whitney, which can show early signs of wear, and is located in an area of high pressure.
A senior airline executive said the grounding was taking a toll as both airlines had very little scope to alter their networks, since they had taken the number of aircraft into consideration while drawing up the schedule. “There will be cancellations till the start of a new schedule on March 25. We have a large network and multiple flights from one point to another, so we can accommodate the passengers in other planes. Necessary information is being shared with affected flyers,” a senior IndiGo executive said.
Pratt & Whitney has said the issue will be resolved only by the end of June.
A senior IndiGo executive said the airline planned to induct around 40 planes in the next one year, including 25A320 ceos and 15 new AT Rs. The airline’ s domestic market share has fallen to 39.4 per cent in December 2017, from 40.4 per cent in November 2016 due to a slowdown in capacity addition.
Till date in 2017-18, IndiGo has inducted 24 aircraft from the secondary market.
The two airlines would face the pressure in the near term as there would be constraints in capacity addition, analysts tracking the sector said. Both airlines would be forced to go for short-term lease of old aircraft to maintain the target of capacity induction, which would lead to higher expense, they added.
Short-term leases are costly and maintenance costs are higher compared to new planes. Airbus has stopped the delivery of A320 neo models fitted with Pratt & Whitney engines. “The problem could become much bigger if the engine supplier is unable find a quick fix, since the delivery schedule of future A320 neo aircraft could be affected,” Ansuman Deb of ICICI Securities said.