Pilots shut down Pratt & Whitney engine on Airbus mid-air, even after fixes

Pilots of an Airbus A320neo jet in India shut down a Pratt & Whitney engine midair last month after it encountered problems, people familiar with the incident said, reviving concerns about the turbines that have been plagued by issues since their debut in early 2016. The twin-engine jet, operated by Go Airlines India, landed safely using its other engine in the western city of Ahmadabad on Sept. 19, people familiar with the matter said, asking not to be identified because the matter is confidential. Both the engines’ turbines had already been modified following repeated glitches, the people said. Indian regulators are looking into faults in the engine’s heat-management and oil systems as possible causes, one of the people said. Airbus said the incident was an “identified topic” and referred questions about repair to Pratt. The latest problem adds another layer to the woes of Pratt, which is owned by Raytheon Technologies Corp. The new engine for narrow-body jets has cost $10b to develop but has faced delivery delays and multiple issues leading to midair shutdowns. IndiGo, the biggest customer for Airbus’s best-selling A320neo, decided last year to switch away from the engines, placing a $20b order instead with rival CFM International Inc. Outside of durability issues and delivery delays, Indian regulators have been concerned about Pratt’s so-called third-stage low-pressure turbine blades.<br/>