New Delhi: At a time when the Indian aviation industry is witnessing record demand, nearly 140 aircraft of scheduled commercial airlines are lying idle across the country. The primary reason for 95% of these groundings is linked to supply chain issues faced by US engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney, civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said.
“We have been in direct touch with Pratt and Whitney and conveyed to them that this situation is unacceptable because air traffic in India is growing exponentially,” Scindia said.
Currently, the Indian aviation sector has a fleet of 644 aircraft as compared with 626 aircraft a year ago. By March, this number is projected to rise to 686, with an average monthly addition of two-five aircraft.
A total of 164 aircraft across various Indian airports remain idle which includes planes of regional airlines and private jets. IndiGo leads with 44 grounded aircraft, followed by SpiceJet with 26, Air India with six, and Alliance Air with three.
The highest concentration of inactive aircraft is at Delhi airport with 64 grounded planes, followed by Bengaluru airport with 27, Mumbai airport wit 24, and Chennai airport 20.
The idle fleet, including the segments of regional aircraft and business jets, are also parked at Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Cochin, Mopa airport in Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Juhu, Kolkata, Kannur, Nagpur, and Raipur airports. The idle fleet also includes nine aircraft of Jet Airways and 52 aircraft of Go First, which suspended operations in May and is currently undergoing insolvency proceedings.
As per aviation research firm CAPA (Centre for Asia-Pacific Aviation) India, the grounded fleet of IndiGo and Air India is largely on account of engine supply chain issues, while there are strategic issues behind the idle fleet of SpiceJet.
Recent reports said the Director General of Civil Aviation has asked officials of P&W to set up a maintenance, repair and overhaul unit in India given the large number of aircraft expected to join Indian airlines in the coming years.
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