IndiGo’s grounded aircraft will continue to decrease, CEO says

The carrier’s aircraft on ground (AOG) total has now dropped to the mid-40s, down from a high point in the mid-70s about a year ago, Aviation Week reports. Elbers notes there has not been an “exact linear [progression]” in AOG numbers, although a further decrease is likely.

Like many airlines around the world, IndiGo has had to ground many of its Airbus A320neo-family aircraft because of lengthy waits for maintenance checks on Pratt geared turbofan (GTF) engines.

The AOG total has reduced slowly, Elbers says. “We would have liked it to be faster, but it has at least been a continued decline,” Elbers said.

“Whether that’s going to [proceed] at the same pace, or whether it may slow down a little bit, remains to be seen,” Elbers said. But the rate “should not deviate too much from what we have seen so far.”

IndiGo focuses more on meeting its capacity growth plans rather than on AOG numbers, Elbers said. By leasing additional aircraft and inducting new deliveries, the carrier has been able to exceed its capacity expansion targets.

The carrier is taking delivery of an average of one new A320neo-family aircraft each week with nearly 900 remaining on order.

IndiGo has seen similar levels of new aircraft delivery delays as other carriers, Elbers said. However, he noted that the airline is not complaining vociferously.

“I’m sure [Airbus] want to deliver the aircraft, and if they can’t ... I will have a discussion with them, but by shouting that they should have delivered more, the reality won’t change,” Elbers said.

The carrier’s high volume of deliveries helps offset the delays, Elbers said. He noted that airlines with fewer orders or more infrequent deliveries would be harder hit by delays than IndiGo.