India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has grounded eleven Pratt & Whitney-powered A320neo in service for GoAir (Mumbai International) and IndiGo Airlines (6E, Delhi International) as the fallout from the latest round of operational issues relating to the PW1100 Geared Turbo Fan continues.
In a statement seen by Reuters, the regulator said the grounding affected eight IndiGo A320neo and three with GoAir. It has asked both carriers not to refit the affected engines until further notice.
Last month, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) that warned of In-Flight engine Shut-Downs (IFSD) and Rejected Take-Off (RTO) events for select Pratt & Whitney PW1100 GTF-powered A320neo/A321neo aircraft.
EASA's operational restrictions entailed the grounding of aircraft with two affected engines pending repair/change out, the de-pairing of affected engines, and the discontinuation of Extended Range Twin-engine Operations (ETOPS) for aircraft fitted with affected engines.
