Nearly 200 of the 789 aircraft of Indian carriers are expected to be grounded by the end of March due to ongoing supply chain issues, according to the report released on Monday by CAPA India.

At present, 161-166 aircraft are grounded.

“More aircraft will be on the ground than expected due to serious supply chain issues, which were supposed to improve but actually deteriorated,” it noted.

“This (groundings) is also creating a shortage of parking bays, with aircraft being parked at hangars and MROs.

“If the numbers increase, the parking challenges will become more acute,” it stated.

Earlier this month, IndiGo stated that approximately 35 additional aircraft would be grounded in the fourth quarter of 2023-24 due to new powder metal defects in Pratt and Whitney (PW) engines.

According to CAPA India, currently, 55 IndiGo planes are grounded, and this number is projected to exceed 90 by the end of March.

Meanwhile, domestic traffic is expected to grow by 15 per cent Y-o-Y in 2023-24 to 155 million, according to the report.

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