IndiGo and Go First’s engine troubles will soon see a resolution as Pratt & Whitney is reportedly aiming to clear the backlog in the next three months. Officials of the engine maker were in India last month to speak with the executives of airlines affected by the supply chain issues. It is being reported that Pratt & Whitney is aiming to supply around 20-25 engines a month in India to clear the backlog.
Three-month plan
Pratt & Whitney (P&W) is looking to supply around 20-25 engines every month starting in December. The engine maker is reportedly planning to finally clear the backlog of its engine deliveries to Indian airlines in the next three months.
A senior official close to P&W told Moneycontrol,“Pratt & Whitney has come up with a three-month action plan with Indian airlines in order to address the issue of grounded aircraft.” Another source said that the engine maker is keen on completing the deliveries within this financial year which ends on March 31st, 2023.
Behind schedule
Pratt & Whitney had announced earlier this year that it was about 70 engines behind its previous delivery plan and was struggling to keep up with Airbus due to labor shortages and other general supply chain issues.
India has been particularly hit by engine shortage, with two airlines – IndiGo and Go First having to ground several aircraft. In October, P&W officials visited India to speak to airlines affected by the engine supply issues and also to look for other business opportunities in the country.
P&W president Shane Eddy and president of its commercial engine division Rick Deurloo spoke with officials of the two budget carriers and assured them that they are doing their best to work on a resolution.
Go First will receive around 16 engines by the end of this month, and the 20-25 delivery plan will start in December, hopefully clearing the backlog by March next year.
10-12% fleet affected
Around 75 aircraft – mostly of IndiGo and Go First – are currently grounded due to a lack of engines and spare parts, affecting close to 12% of the country’s fleet. This has led to a reduction in weekly departures in December, which is a peak traveling season in India.
With certain busy routes seeing fewer flights this year, Indian airlines are losing revenue, while passengers have to pay more than usual to bag an airplane seat. IndiGo has had to resort to wet leasing of planes while Go First is stretched to capacity with its existing active aircraft and is struggling to maintain schedules.
If P&W sticks to its plan, the affected airlines will get some relief by January, although they’ll have to wait until the end of the busy winter season to receive all the engine deliveries.
Cre: Simple Flying
Nguyen Mai Huong-COMM
