AI wing, P&W ink deal to maintain engines

MUMBAI: Air India Engineering Services Ltd (AIESL), Air India Ltd’s engineering wing has signed a contract with aircraft engine maker, Pratt & Whitney (P&W), for maintaining engines, including the problematic ones fitted on Airbus A320neos.

The plan comes amid glitches in P&W engines, resulting in several mid-air scares. In the last two years, over 30 engine snags have been reported in India involving the new Airbus A320neos fitted with P&W engines; in many of these cases the aircraft were forced to turn around.

The New Engine Option (neo) is an upgrade carried out by European aircraft maker Airbus on its aircraft such as A320, A319 and A321 from current engine option. Neo engines are more fuel-efficient, which in turn reduces the total cost of operations. IndiGo has 106 such aircraft in its fleet, the largest A320neo fleet in the world. GoAir has 41. The aircraft were inducted at the end of 2016. In 2018, 11

IndiGo and 3 GoAir aircraft were grounded after problems. Air India and Vistara also have A320neo aircraft, but these are powered by CFM Leap-1A engines. The glitches have been caused by certain series of P&W engines. Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation has directed IndiGo to replace engines with modified ones by May 31.

The P&W collaboration with Air India will have two phases. In the first phase, Air India will facilitate the removal of the engines and will refit them once they are repaired at P&W facilities abroad. In the second phase, AIESL will repair the engines in India, making it the first such maintenance, repair and overhaul here by the company. The work is expected to be done at AIESL’s facilities in India.

Executives in Air India familiar with the matter confirmed that P&W and AIESL signed the contract early this month.

The engine maker has started training AIESL engineers at its Bangalore centre. “Once the training and manuals are ready, AIESL will apply for DGCA approval and also seek approval from European Aviation Safety

Agency and the US Federal Aviation Agency later on,” one of the executives said.

Even though the executives confirmed that work under the first phase has started, none of the parties have officially shared any the details of the progress made under the plan.

P&W did not comment on the matter. However, officials on conditions of anonymity , confirmed the developments and said an announcement is expected soon.