Madurai to Mumbai IndiGo flight suffers technical snag, lands in Mumbai

An IndiGo flight, travelling from Madurai to Mumbai, suffered a technical issue mid-flight on Tuesday.  In a statement issued on Tuesday, the budget airlines said that IndiGo flight 6E-2012 operating from Madurai to Mumbai had a technical issue prior to landing in Mumbai. Following which, the pilot prioritised the landing in Mumbai.  

"An IndiGo flight 6E-2012 operating from Madurai to Mumbai had a technical issue prior to landing in Mumbai. The pilot prioritized the landing in Mumbai.  The aircraft is held in Mumbai and will be back in operations after necessary maintenance. We regret the inconvenience caused to the passengers," the low-cost carrier said on Tuesday.

A report in The Times of India said that the twin-engine Airbus A321 (VT-IUJ) saw one of its Pratt & Whitney (P&W) engines shut down in flight and landed with its remaining engine in operation.

Earlier this month, it was reported that IndiGo will send 13 engines to US-based engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney for inspection as part of the latest issue regarding material anomalies.

Based on the latest assessment, Pratt & Whitney has identified 200 PW1100G engines that will be removed for performing Angle Ultrasonic Scan Inspection (AUSI) during the shop visit and accordingly are required to be removed before 15 September.

Beyond the initial 200 engines, the US-based engine maker has stated previously that around 1,000 additional PW1100 engines will need to be removed from the operating fleet of airlines for this inspection within the next 9 to 12 months, thus impacting 600 aircraft globally.

Pratt & Whitney's parent company, RTX, formerly Raytheon, announced on July 25 that a "significant portion" of the Airbus A320neo fleet will "require accelerated removals and inspections within the next nine to 12 months."

In India, IndiGo and Go First deployed PW1100-run A320neo family aircraft. The latest issue revolves around the metal used in manufacturing the parts of a PW-1100G engine, a Mint report said. In 2019, the Indian civil aviation regulator ordered IndiGo and Go First to modify some A320neo aircraft fitted with P&W engines due to issues related to in-flight shutdowns.

Of the total IndiGo’s fleet of 312 aircraft, approximately 45 are currently grounded due to maintenance work, and shortage of spare engines and parts. IndiGo signed a definitive pact in 2012 with P&W for PurePower PW1100G-JM engines for 150 A320neo family aircraft. The airline had then switched to another US engine maker CFM for LEAP-1A engine for a total of 590 IndiGo A320neo family aircraft.

Earlier,  Go First accused the engine maker of its grounding, which led to its bankruptcy proceedings.

Media reports say other carriers likely to be affected include Germany's Lufthansa, US carrier Delta, Air New Zealand, Wizz Air of Hungary and Mexico's Volaris.

(WIth agency inputs)