GoAir has 19 of 60 A320 neos with P&W engines operating in Indian skies. (Representational)
There seems to be no end in sight for P&W engine trouble as a Pune-bound Airbus A320 neo plane of GoAir from Bengaluru had to return on Saturday after it suffered a technical snag.
While a GoAir spokesperson said the flight "suffered a technical glitch", sources claimed the engine failed midair and the flight returned, with full emergency landing in Bengaluru. There were about 169 passengers on board.
The pilots got a warning midair about vibration in an engine followed by oil chip detection alarm going off, eventually leading to its shutdown.
When contacted, the airline spokesperson said, "Flight G8-283 BLR-PNQ suffered a technical glitch. As a standard operating procedure the captain returned back to Bengaluru. Post landing, all passengers were cared for and accommodated on alternate flights."
"GoAir sincerely regrets the inconvenience caused to its passengers. GoAir is committed to the highest degree of safety of passengers and its own crew members and the crew operated within the established guidelines to provide for safe travel," the spokesperson said.
Budged airlines IndiGo and GoAir have been grappling with P&W engine problem for several months now. Last month aviation watchdog DGCA had in a statement said that seven IndiGo and two GoAir flights have been grounded due to Prett and Whitney (P&W) engine issues.
The latest incident comes barely a week after Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu had sought a report from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on the grounding of the A320 neo planes.
There are 60 A320 neos with P&W engines operating in Indian skies as of now. Of them, 41 are with IndiGo and 19 with GoAir.