IndiGo’s woes rise as DGCA steps up scrutiny of Airbus engines

India has stepped up scrutiny of engines on Airbus SE’s A320neo jets, forcing the country’s biggest airline, IndiGo, to have to replace more than previously estimated, a move that could further delay the budget carrier’s expansion plans.

A “more intense boroscopic examination” of engines manufactured by Pratt & Whitney has identified more engines at risk of shutting down in midair, Arun Kumar, the head of India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation, told Bloomberg News on Sunday. Out of roughly 200 engines in use, IndiGo will now have to replace at least 130. India’s aviation minister, Hardeep Singh Puri, had earlier put the figure at 110.

Kumar said the DGCA would decide in mid-January whether to grant IndiGo more time — beyond the current Jan. 31 deadline — before it started ordering some planes be grounded. The affected planes have continued to fly while the work is being done, since they have two engines.