‘Pratt & Whitney’s lazy response to engine crisis deliberate attempt to kill us’: Go First
India’s third-largest airline fires a fresh salvo at the US-based company by releasing a detailed statement on the various technical glitches encountered with its next-generation engine
- May 6, 2023,
- Updated May 6, 2023 8:21 PM IST
Days after accusing Pratt & Whitney’s defective engines of driving it to the verge of bankruptcy, Go First has again called out the Connecticut-based engine maker’s response to the crisis as a deliberate attempt to kill the airline.
In a detailed note released to the media Saturday the Mumbai-headquartered low-cost carrier (LCC) said that it chose P&W’s next-generation PurePower PW1127G-JM – also called the geared turbofan (GTF) engine – for its Airbus A320neo fleet over claims of it having a longer lifespan, greater fuel efficiency, being less noisy, more environmentally friendly and reduced maintenance costs. For instance, the engine was expected to have a lifespan of 15,000 hours once installed on the wing before requiring servicing and offering up to 16 per cent greater fuel efficiency over its predecessor.
Go First further claimed that P&W had also committed to repairing and reconditioning an engine in case it failed within the initial 6,000 hours or 4,200 take-off and landing cycles of normal operation. In addition, the company had also offered better commercial terms compared to its competitor CFM, which included financing via their affiliate UT Finance Corp. for the pre-delivery payments.
An industry insider called the engine issue the primary reason behind the Mumbai-headquartered carrier halting operations.
“Of course, total failure cannot be explained by that, but it is a big enough piece for failure. I would say 60 per cent of the cause,” the person said requesting anonymity.
On May 2, the LCC filed an application for voluntary insolvency resolution with the arbitrator the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).
Problems from start
The engines displayed a multitude of defects and a high failure rate from the very start, claimed Go First. These included software and combustor problems, leading the airline to remove the first GTF engine installed on a newly delivered aircraft due to erosion of the combustor chamber also called combustor chamber distress. This has been described as the key problem. Other issues such as problems with the engines’ software, start-up times, starter, main gearbox and fan blades were also reported.
P&W initially apologised for the issues with its engines and vowed to resolve them quickly, according to the Go First statement. Between 2016 and February 2023, the LCC carried out 510 GTF engine removals, including 289 engine changes as a result of at least 28 different defects, and 221 engine swaps. Out of this, 140 GTF engines were removed for combustor chamber distress.
In a 2019 letter, India’s aviation regulator the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had also described the technical issues as “significant”, the airline said.
While initially, aircraft on ground (AoG) were sporadic, shortly after the inking of a binding agreement for the second batch of A320neos in November 2019, the number spiked due to a fault with the low-pressure turbine (LPT) blades, the airline alleged.
From an AoG rate of nearly 3.8 per cent at that time, it increased sharply to 23 per cent in January 2020 and remained at elevated levels through March 2020.
The commercial relationship between Go First and P&W also started deteriorating over time. Go First is the engine maker’s fourth largest customer globally.
Worst affected among P&W customers
Sharing some stats, Go First said that almost 178 out of the total 1,219 aircraft powered by P&W’s GTF engine were grounded in March 2023.
“The most affected region is India with 65 grounded aircraft out of 178 aircraft. Out of total 60 global customers, only 4 customers have grounded aircraft in excess of 25 per cent and 2 of them are Indian customers,” the statement said.
Several other global airlines have reported problems with P&W’s geared turbofan (GTF) engines, especially under hot and dusty conditions. Notable names include Air Hawaiian, Spirit Airlines and Air Tanzania. On May 4, Lufthansa partially grounded its Airbus 220 fleet at Zurich airport over issues with P&W engines.
But unlike Go First, none of the other airlines have completely suspended operations. India’s largest carrier by fleet and market share IndiGo has so far successfully navigated the challenge despite having to ground over 30 A320neo aircraft for the same reason.
This has led some aviation experts to hint at other factors as also being responsible for the crisis at Go First.
“No doubt the engines have had issues but what is not being spoken about is alternate capacity plans, contingency plans and flying a reduced schedule,” noted the managing partner at the aviation services firm, AT-TV, Satyendra Pandey.
The airline has, however, blamed P&W’s lackadaisical approach behind the imbroglio.
“P&W’s recent proposal whereby they proposed to give 5 per cent of induction slots to Go First despite AoG’s at 54 per cent is hard to believe and is a deliberate attempt to kill Go First,” the statement added.
Seeking award enforcement
P&W’s chronically faulty engines, its decision to suspend maintenance, repair & overhaul (MRO) activity from May 2022, and its proposal to give minimal induction slots led Go First to approach the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) seeking compensation in excess of Rs 8,000 crore, other final relief and interim emergency relief, the airline said.
On March 30 the emergency arbitrator ordered P&W to despatch at least 10 serviceable spare leased engines by April 27 and a further 10 spare leased engines per month until December 2023. The SIAC confirmed its order in a second award on April 15.
However, P&W’s failure to comply with the SIAC’s award has forced the airline to take steps to enforce the award in the US and other international jurisdictions, the airline said.
In a statement shared with BT earlier, P&W observed that it was complying with the March 2023 arbitration ruling related to Go First.” Citing the ongoing litigation, the company declined to comment any further on the issue.
P&W sources separately informed Business Today the airline has had a long history of missing its financial obligations by often reneging on contractual obligations.
Days after accusing Pratt & Whitney’s defective engines of driving it to the verge of bankruptcy, Go First has again called out the Connecticut-based engine maker’s response to the crisis as a deliberate attempt to kill the airline.
In a detailed note released to the media Saturday the Mumbai-headquartered low-cost carrier (LCC) said that it chose P&W’s next-generation PurePower PW1127G-JM – also called the geared turbofan (GTF) engine – for its Airbus A320neo fleet over claims of it having a longer lifespan, greater fuel efficiency, being less noisy, more environmentally friendly and reduced maintenance costs. For instance, the engine was expected to have a lifespan of 15,000 hours once installed on the wing before requiring servicing and offering up to 16 per cent greater fuel efficiency over its predecessor.
Go First further claimed that P&W had also committed to repairing and reconditioning an engine in case it failed within the initial 6,000 hours or 4,200 take-off and landing cycles of normal operation. In addition, the company had also offered better commercial terms compared to its competitor CFM, which included financing via their affiliate UT Finance Corp. for the pre-delivery payments.
An industry insider called the engine issue the primary reason behind the Mumbai-headquartered carrier halting operations.
“Of course, total failure cannot be explained by that, but it is a big enough piece for failure. I would say 60 per cent of the cause,” the person said requesting anonymity.
On May 2, the LCC filed an application for voluntary insolvency resolution with the arbitrator the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).
Problems from start
The engines displayed a multitude of defects and a high failure rate from the very start, claimed Go First. These included software and combustor problems, leading the airline to remove the first GTF engine installed on a newly delivered aircraft due to erosion of the combustor chamber also called combustor chamber distress. This has been described as the key problem. Other issues such as problems with the engines’ software, start-up times, starter, main gearbox and fan blades were also reported.
P&W initially apologised for the issues with its engines and vowed to resolve them quickly, according to the Go First statement. Between 2016 and February 2023, the LCC carried out 510 GTF engine removals, including 289 engine changes as a result of at least 28 different defects, and 221 engine swaps. Out of this, 140 GTF engines were removed for combustor chamber distress.
In a 2019 letter, India’s aviation regulator the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had also described the technical issues as “significant”, the airline said.
While initially, aircraft on ground (AoG) were sporadic, shortly after the inking of a binding agreement for the second batch of A320neos in November 2019, the number spiked due to a fault with the low-pressure turbine (LPT) blades, the airline alleged.
From an AoG rate of nearly 3.8 per cent at that time, it increased sharply to 23 per cent in January 2020 and remained at elevated levels through March 2020.
The commercial relationship between Go First and P&W also started deteriorating over time. Go First is the engine maker’s fourth largest customer globally.
Worst affected among P&W customers
Sharing some stats, Go First said that almost 178 out of the total 1,219 aircraft powered by P&W’s GTF engine were grounded in March 2023.
“The most affected region is India with 65 grounded aircraft out of 178 aircraft. Out of total 60 global customers, only 4 customers have grounded aircraft in excess of 25 per cent and 2 of them are Indian customers,” the statement said.
Several other global airlines have reported problems with P&W’s geared turbofan (GTF) engines, especially under hot and dusty conditions. Notable names include Air Hawaiian, Spirit Airlines and Air Tanzania. On May 4, Lufthansa partially grounded its Airbus 220 fleet at Zurich airport over issues with P&W engines.
But unlike Go First, none of the other airlines have completely suspended operations. India’s largest carrier by fleet and market share IndiGo has so far successfully navigated the challenge despite having to ground over 30 A320neo aircraft for the same reason.
This has led some aviation experts to hint at other factors as also being responsible for the crisis at Go First.
“No doubt the engines have had issues but what is not being spoken about is alternate capacity plans, contingency plans and flying a reduced schedule,” noted the managing partner at the aviation services firm, AT-TV, Satyendra Pandey.
The airline has, however, blamed P&W’s lackadaisical approach behind the imbroglio.
“P&W’s recent proposal whereby they proposed to give 5 per cent of induction slots to Go First despite AoG’s at 54 per cent is hard to believe and is a deliberate attempt to kill Go First,” the statement added.
Seeking award enforcement
P&W’s chronically faulty engines, its decision to suspend maintenance, repair & overhaul (MRO) activity from May 2022, and its proposal to give minimal induction slots led Go First to approach the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) seeking compensation in excess of Rs 8,000 crore, other final relief and interim emergency relief, the airline said.
On March 30 the emergency arbitrator ordered P&W to despatch at least 10 serviceable spare leased engines by April 27 and a further 10 spare leased engines per month until December 2023. The SIAC confirmed its order in a second award on April 15.
However, P&W’s failure to comply with the SIAC’s award has forced the airline to take steps to enforce the award in the US and other international jurisdictions, the airline said.
In a statement shared with BT earlier, P&W observed that it was complying with the March 2023 arbitration ruling related to Go First.” Citing the ongoing litigation, the company declined to comment any further on the issue.
P&W sources separately informed Business Today the airline has had a long history of missing its financial obligations by often reneging on contractual obligations.