In a major relief to IndiGo, aviation regulator DGCA has extended the deadline to replace the Pratt and Whitney (PW) engines of the airline's A320neo aircraft.
Pointing out that "about 70% of the total Neo engines of M/s Indigo fleet is likely to be modified by 31st January 2020," the regulator has extended the deadline to complete the whole exercise to May 31, 2020.
The relaxation has come after the US and European regulators - FAA and EASA, respectively, said that the replacement can be done by November 2020. While FAA said that the engines of the whole impacted fleet could be done by November, EASA stressed on one modification.
"It is noted with satisfaction that the process of placement of at least one modified engine on the entire fleet has been accomplished by M/s Indigo, well before the timeline of 31st March 2020, given by EASA," the DGCA said in a statement.
It added that the procurement of modified engines was impacted due to the holiday season in December.
The DGCA directive in November had come after IndiGo faced four mid-air engine malfunctions in A320neo planes in one week, causing "serious concern and resultant disruption."
The regulator had initially asked the airline to replace the PW engines of 16 A320neo planes, which were used for over 2,900 hours, by November 12, but it subsequently found out that seven more aircraft were flying with such engines.
The regulator, airline and equipment manufacturers have jointly severally submitted a complete action plan, which finds the change of engines for the entire fleet feasible by the end of June 2020.
"It involves procurement of about 135 engines and the month-wise details have been worked out to achieve the goal. Needless to say, the timeline looks impressive if we recall that originally it was expected to be accomplished in 14 months i.e. from November 2019 to December 2020," the regulator said.
It added: "However, DGCA feels that it can be compressed further and should be achievable by May 2020. And therefore, the revised timeline for complete removal of unmodified engines from the fleet is May 31st, 2020."
DGCA reiterated that now no aircraft with unmodified engine in IndiGo fleet shall be allowed to fly after that the May deadline.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
