With nearly 45 aircraft already grounded due to problems in the Pratt & Whitney engines, the turbulence is expected to turn severe as additional aircraft in the range of mid-thirties will be grounded from January.
“The total cost of the airline may rise 30%-50% as it will pay dry lease rentals for PW affected aircraft on ground, in addition to the higher wet lease/ACMI hour rate it will have to pay for planes being inducted as the interim stop-gap arrangement for the peak travel season,” said Mark Martin, founder and chief executive officer at aviation consulting firm Martin Consulting.
“It’s not too difficult to guess who’ll end up paying for the additional costs faced by the country’s dominant airline; airlines aren’t a charitable business,” he told BQ Prime.
IndiGo’s fleet stood at 334 aircraft at the end of September. A total of 136 aircraft are fitted with these Pratt & Whitney engines, which means the number of groundings may rise in the coming months.
Once the engine goes for inspection, it will take between 8-10 months to get back the aircraft on air.