Following Go First’s footsteps, Lufthansa, one of the prominent global airlines, has temporarily grounded one-third of SWISS’ Airbus A220 fleet in Zurich due to some technical issues with Pratt & Whitney engines, according to the airline’s management.
In a recent earnings call with analysts, Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr stated that there are supply chain issues with missing elements and that companies must rebuild their production facilities.
Lufthansa Swiss flights Grounded over Pratt and Whitney Issues
He also mentioned that Lufthansa’s subsidiary Swiss operates 30 A220s. It has grounded 10 of them due to technical issues that need further assessment.
The issue of engine problems is not unique to Lufthansa, as other top airlines worldwide are also experiencing shortages of spare parts and engines, particularly for their latest narrowbody planes.
In fact, Go First has already sought bankruptcy protection, citing the failure of Pratt & Whitney engines as the reason behind grounding half of its Airbus fleet.
Go First has requested multiple interim directives from the National Company Law Tribunal, such as prohibiting lessors from reclaiming aircraft and stopping the regulator DGCA from taking any negative action against the airline.
Go First Pratt and Whitney Engine Woes
The Wadia Group-owned budget airline, Go First, with total liabilities of Rs 11,463 crore, has filed for voluntary insolvency resolution proceedings. The plea is set to be heard by the Delhi bench of the National Company Law Tribunal on Thursday.
The airline has canceled all its flights for three days starting from May 3. In its petition, it has sought directions to restrain aircraft lessors from taking any recovery action and restrain the DGCA and suppliers of essential goods and services from initiating adverse actions.
The carrier also wants fuel suppliers to continue supplying for aircraft operations and not terminate the present contractual arrangements.
Go First attributes the grounding of more than half of its fleet to the non-supply of engines by Pratt & Whitney, which has resulted in the current situation. The airline has defaulted on Rs 3,856 crore towards operational creditors.
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