Dec. 17--NEW DELHI -- An IndiGo A320neo aircraft flying from Bagdogra to Kolkata had to return back mid-air on Monday due to engine problems, raising fresh concerns following a series of such snags that have occurred over the past few month.
The flight 6E 958, which had 180 passengers, has been grounded at Bagdogra airport in Siliguri.
An IndiGo spokesperson confirmed the incident.
"During the flight, the pilot observed a caution message. Following the laid standard operating procedure, the aircraft was returned to Bagdogra for further inspections," the spokesperson said.
Air safety-related issues have recently grabbed public attention with the Airbus A320neo planes, which are using Pratt & Whitney engines, facing several on-ground and mid-air glitches. This prompted the Directorate General for Civil Avaiation (DGCA) to direct IndiGo and GoAir, which use these aircraft, to install modified engines.
The latest incident also arose due to an "unmodified engine", a government official said on condition of anonymity. "Since the other engine was modified, the plane could come back safely."
About a week ago, another IndiGo flight that took off from Delhi for Hyderabad returned to the capital after one of the two engines experienced high vibrations mid-air, but it landed safely.
IndiGo commands almost half of India's air passenger traffic and therefore the series of incidents have raised not only safety worries, but question marks about whether capacity constraints may emerge in coming months.
Last month, India's aviation regulator warned IndiGo that the airline's effort to modify older Pratt & Whitney engines installed on Airbus A320neo aircraft were not satisfactory and a significant portion of the airline's fleet could be grounded if the airline failed to meet 31 January, 2020, deadline for modification of engines.
IndiGo has 98 A320neo family aircraft comprising 91 A320neo and seven A321neo planes, all with Pratt & Whitney engines.
Pratt and Whitney has not responded to emailed queries about their engine modification plans for Indian carriers.
"A320neo forms over 30% of IndiGo's fleet, which is the largest in India. If these planes are grounded, then the fares will skyrocket. I don't think the DGCA will allow that," an analyst said, on condition of anonymity.
Glitches in Airbus A320neo family fleet compound issues for the aviation industry globally as Boeing's 737 MAX planes have been grounded since March following two fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that have together killed 346 people.
A Monday news report by the Wall Street Journal said that Boeing may consider suspending production of the planes or reducing it till it receives US Federal Aviation Administration's approval.
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