15% of India's aircraft fleet grounded

{ AVIATION } 116 AIRCRAFT OUT OF 719 BELONGING TO SEVEN INDIAN AIRLINE FIRMS HAVE BEEN GROUNDED

- Neha LM Tripathi

As many as 116 aircraft out of 719 planes belonging to seven Indian airline firms, or 15% of the country's total commercial aircraft fleet, are currently grounded due to various reasons, including problems with Pratt & Whitney engines, according to data from Planespotters, a tracking website.

The maximum number of grounded aircraft belong to market leader IndiGo, the data revealed. SpiceJet has the second largest number of grounded aircraft, Planespotters said. The airline has grounded 26 out of its total 64 aircraft, followed by Air India, which has 13 of its fleet of 128 aircraft grounded. Vistara and Air India Express have one aircraft each on the ground.