Ever think of the engine that powers your aircraft?

This crucial piece of machinery is at the crux of the overall plane design. Tune in to its sounds the next time you fly!

- ASHWINI PHADNIS

When one talks of flying, the first thing that comes to mind is the airline one has chosen. Then comes the flight number and for enthusiasts the next thing is whether it is a Boeing or an Airbus aircraft. Rarely, if ever, does one think of the engine that will fly one to his or her destination even though it is among the most important parts that make a flight possible.

What engine to use in its aircraft is a decision taken by individual airlines and they consider various factors before settling for the right one. The two largest aircraft manufacturers, Airbus and Boeing, maintain that airlines are free to choose the type of engine that they want for their aircraft. That is why IndiGo chose the Pratt & Whitney (PW) engines for its initial order of the New Engine Option (NEO) aircraft.

It is one of the worst-kept secrets that IndiGo went in with the PW engines when it ordered its Airbus A320 aircraft as, during that time, Kingfisher was going down and IndiGo wanted more aircraft to cash in on the demand that would be created by Kingfisher folding up. However, IndiGo’s choice of engine had disastrous consequences as the variety that it ordered faced major problems, like turnback of aircraft and in-flight shutdown of the engine. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation asked IndiGo to replace the unmodified engines if it wanted to continue flying this variety of aircraft. The airline is now modifying the engines for the safety of its flights and has till May 31 to complete the process.

Fleet factors