Indian low-cost carrier GoAir says it had to cancel flights after an unplanned grounding of aircraft part of the current fleet, while new Airbus aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney engines  would fail to arrive by the previously expected deadline in March 2020.

The no-frills airline did not disclose how many flights, in particular, are affected, stating briefly that cancellations affect scheduled flights, tickets to which were already open for sale.

GoAir revealed it had to resolve to flight cancelations after having to ground part of its current fleet in the last four weeks. On top of that, Airbus and Pratt & Whitney informed the Indian airline that they would be unable to deliver previously “promised” aircraft and engines through March 9, 2020, according to GoAir.

“We would like to assure our customers and partners that our currently published schedule incorporates a conservative view of aircraft and engine deliveries as provided by Airbus and Pratt & Whitney to minimize, or eliminate, the need for flight cancelations in the future,” the carrier wrote in a statement on January 22, 2020.

Go Air currently operates an all-Airbus fleet of 58 aircraft: 15 A320-200s, two of which are currently stored according to planespotters.net data, and 43 A320neos. The carrier has further 101 Airbus A320neo aircraft on order.

The airline’s trouble with its A320neo jets, and especially their Pratt & Whitney engines, is ongoing for several years now. The airline introduced PW1100G-powered Airbus A320neos to its fleet in May 2016, Go Air has since experienced multiple PW1100G engine failure incidents and aircraft groundings related to the issue.

For instance, in September 2018 we wrote:

The PW1100G is one of two engine options available for Airbus A320neo. The turbofan commenced commercial service in 2016. The same year, the first technical problems of it emerged.