DGCA bars IndiGo, Go Air from flying Airbus A320 Neo planes to Port Blir
18 Jan 2019
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Aviation regulator Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has barred top service providers IndiGo and Go Air from using accident-prone Airbus A320 Neo engines in their aircrafts in India as the aircraft continued to risk lives of flyers.
DGCA specifically barred the carriers from using the A320 Neos fitted with Pratt & Whitney engines for operating flights to Port Blair in Andaman Nicobar islands. The regulator’s decision comes after an Airbus 320 New suffered a technical glitch in the engine while on a flight.
The DGCA restrictions come after Qatar Airways rejected the delivery A320 Neos citing ‘engine failure’.
Airbus started delivery of Airbus A320 Neo engine in India in March 2016. Over the last couple of years, several incidents have been reported where the flights suffered technical glitches. Early this month, smoke was detected inside the aircraft on a Chennai-Kolkata IndiGo flight, forcing the flight to make an emergency landing in Chennai.
As per a DGCA report, 69 instances of in-flight shutdowns were reported in 18 months due to glitches in the A320 Neo engine.
Meanwhile, the aviation ministry held a meeting chaired by minister of state of civil aviation Jayant Sinha, which reviewed the issue.
In a statement, the DGCA said that the Interglobe Aviation, which operates IndiGo, and Go Air have been ordered to identify the problems with the aircraft and fix them. The statement further added that both the airlines were prohibited from flying A320 Neo aircraft to Port Blair.
