DGCA grounds planes with faulty engines; 47 IndiGo flights canceled
As many as 47 flights have been canceled by budget carrier IndiGo today after the country's aviation regulator DGCA grounded its eight A320Neo planes with faulty Pratt & Whitney engines, along with three such aircraft of GoAir. The flights were canceled across IndiGo's domestic network from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Patna, Srinagar, Bhubaneswar, Amritsar, Srinagar, and Guwahati, among others. Here's more.
Filghts canceled for aircraft operation's safety: DGCA
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) cracked the whip after a Lucknow bound IndiGo fight returned to Ahmedabad within 40 minutes of its getting airborne due to a mid-air engine failure yesterday. Citing safety of aircraft operations, DGCA Director issued a statement on 12 March. It said A320 Neos fitted with PW1100 engines beyond ESN 450 have been grounded with immediate effect.
3 other IndiGo A320Neo planes grounded earlier
Due to similar engine problems, three other IndiGo A320Neo planes have been on the ground since February. Yesterday, hundreds of passengers were stranded across the country as dozens of flights were canceled by IndiGo and GoAir following the grounding of 11 planes. IndiGo operates about 1,000 flights daily and carries around 40% market share. However, GoAir has a market share of around 10%.
