Four years after global aviation industry was severely disrupted due to critical flaws in Boeing 737 Max aircraft, bad news for users of Airbus 320neo series aircraft as it faces urgent engine inspections over suspected flawed parts. With about 240 aircraft in its fleet, IndiGo likely to be hit seriously.

Low-cost carrier IndiGo Airlines, that has been on a spree of expanding its operations and launching new destinations around the world could see its operations and ambitions severely curtailed due to a critical flaw reported in the engines of A320neo aircraft, one of the most popular single-aisle planes in the world and of which IndiGo is the biggest user in India.

With about 240 A320neos in its fleet, IndiGo Airlines has already said that it is looking to take up to 30 aircraft to replace part of its fleet that would be impacted by the flaw that came out earlier this week as American manufacturing firm RTX Corporation, which makes parts for Pratt & Whitney engines that are fitted on A320neos, says it has discovered a flaw in the engine manufacture.

RTX sent shivers down the global aviation industry by saying that it needed conduct inspections of nearly all the Airbus A320neos with this configuration.

Reports suggest that as many as 90 pc of the roughly 3,200 planes need their engines removed and inspected for contaminated metal used in making the equipment. The job will take months, if not years, rendering the planes useless.

“This is obviously a difficult and disappointing situation. We are laser-focussed on addressing this in the most expeditious and financially sound way forward,” Chief Executive Officer Greg Hayes said.

Hayes said that about 350 planes per year will have to be grounded between now and until the end of 2026. RTX has about a 40 pc share of the turbo engine market, which is dominated by Pratt & Whitney’s PW1100 GTF engines. RTX says that a majority of those removals must take place between now and early 2024. The repair work will last up to 300 days per engine, instead of the 60 days the company had initially expected. 

Besides IndiGo, almost all other Indian carriers are also likely to be hit as they use A320neos in their fleet. Incidentally, with almost 500 A320neo series planes on order, IndiGo is amongst the biggest buyers of these planes in the world. Tata Group’s Vistara has 51 aircraft of the same family in its fleet, Wadia-group owned GoAir or GoFirst as it is called now, has 54 aircraft in its fleet and another 88 on order. Air India has only 27 Airbus320neos, but has ordered 250 more Airbus planes, of which A320neos are the most significant component.