In yet another airplane incident IndiGo flight 6E-6129, full of 176 people, had to declare complete emergency mid-air due to engine failure.
The airplane was diverted to Mumbai where the pilots safely landed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.
According to NDTV, the incident comes just days after India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), gave the airline an extension till May 31 to replace or modify all faulty engines.
The problematic engines have been reported across the airline’s fleet of Airbus A-320 and A-321 NEO aircrafts.
The engine that failed in today’s incident was from one such unit.
The damage is said to have been done in the third stage blades of its Low Pressure Turbine (LPT), similar to what was found with the other engines.
Moreover, it was reported that the damaged engine had flown a total of 3,373 hours and was last inspected on 9 December.
Answering the allegations of exploiting the already malfunctioning engines, IndiGo responded through a press release and said:
During the flight, the pilot observed an engine vibration message and followed the laid [down] standard operating procedures. The flight landed in Mumbai. The aircraft is currently under inspection at Mumbai.
Though proven to be more fuel-efficient, more environment-friendly and quieter compared to its predecessors, the New Engine Option (NEO) engines, with IndiGo, are deeply problematic.