Lufthansa Airlines Cites Problem With Pratt & Whitney Engines, Grounds One Third Of Airbus A220 Fleet

Days after Go First grounded its aircraft, leading international carrier Lufthansa, on Thursday announced to temporarily ground a third of its `Airbus A220` fleet in Zurich, Switzerland, citing some issues with Pratt & Whitney engines. 

"Lufthansa temporarily grounds a third of its Airbus A220 fleet in Zurich due to issues with Pratt & Whitney engines," Lufthansa said in a statement on Thursday. Headquartered in the US, Pratt and Whitney is a major player in designing, manufacturing, and servicing aircraft engines. 

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Go First Airways on Tuesday informed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that all its flights would remain cancelled on May 3 and May 4. Now it said the services would remain cancelled till May 9. 

"Go First is facing financial crunch due to non-supply of engines by US-based jet engines manufacturer Pratt and Whitney (P&W) that has forced grounding more than 50 percent planes," an official with the airline had told ANI. 

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has meanwhile examined Go First`s response and issued an order to the carrier to process their refunds to passengers. Go First and Indigo are two Indian carriers that depend on Pratt and Whitney engines, and reportedly both airlines have been facing issues.