List steps taken to check safety of P&W engines: Bombay HC to DGCA

The Bombay High Court today asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to list the steps being taken to check the airworthiness of all Pratt and Whitney engines that power A320neo aircraft.

The court direction came in response to a public interest litigation which seeks grounding of these A320Neo planes on safety concerns.

The DGCA had earlier this month ordering of grounding of 14 A320Neo engines which had Pratt & Whiteny engines beyond serial number 450. The DGCA order came following three incidents of engine failure in a month. Planes with pre-450 serial number continue to operate as usual.

DGCA counsel Advait Sethna informed the court that pre-450 series engines of A32ONeo planes are safe. Sethna quoted a March 19 letter form engine manufacturer which said that the pre-450 series configuration meets all regulatory and safety criteria for continued airworthiness. At present, there are over 300 pre-450 design engines in service globally and these have accumulated over 500,000 hours and 300,000 flight cycles, he said.

The court observed that the engines have been facing issues for over a year and sought to know why it took so long for reduction in defects. “ We do not want the situation to prevail,” Justice Naresh Patil of Bombay High Court remarked.

Last January the DGCA had ordered boroscopic inspection of engines following issues related to engine oil chip and combustion chamber distress. Advocate Sahil Kanuga who appeared on behalf of IndiGo informed the court that improvements are being made in the combustion chamber to address the problems.

The court directed the DGCA to place on record all the steps it had taken in the matter. The court has also asked the regulator and airlines to clarify on nature of air safety incidents for consumer awareness.

Advocate Aniruddha Deo who appeared for the petitioner Haresh Aggarwal demanded that the court ground all the A320neo planes to prevent mishaps. He also pointed out that five planes were grounded in a week highlighting safety issues.