IndiGo’s brand new plane returns to base in France due to engine fault

Mumbai :IndiGo Airline’s brand new Pratt & Whitney engine-powered ATR aircraft which was flying from Toulouse in France returned to base one hour after taking off. The flight had to return due to low oil pressure in one of its engines.
IndiGo’s maiden flight from Toulouse to New Delhi was aborted and had to return to the French facility due to low oil pressure.
The IndiGo ATR 72-600 aircraft was on its maiden flight from its Toulouse headquarters to the New Delhi hub of IndiGo. It had no revenue passengers onboard.
Confirming the development, the airline in a statement said, “IndiGo ATR 72-600 while being ferried from Toulouse to India, with no revenue passengers onboard, returned to Toulouse for technical reasons. The aircraft will conduct checks and take actions as required as is the usual practise while delivering new airplanes.”
Currently Indigo has four ATRs in the fleet beside the 152 Airbus A320 planes, including 32 A320 Neos.
IndiGo had taken the delivery of its first ATR (aircraft manufacturer) 72-600 aircraft (VT-IYA) In November 2017 in Toulouse, France. The airline and ATR had announced an agreement for the acquisition of 50 ATR 72-600s. The ATR 72-600 is the most popular regional aircraft in its category. Its economics and operational versatility at small airfields makes it the perfect tool to support IndiGo’s plans to build its regional network in India.
“The ATR 72-600’s feature seat and trip costs that are respectively 10 percent and 20 percent lower than those of other in-production turboprops. They also feature the most modern cabin interiors, specifically designed for ATR by the Italian firm Giugiaro, with thinner seats, larger overhead bins and LED lightening for an optimal passenger experience. With its new ATR 72-600s IndiGo will be able to offer their passengers affordable fares, while opening new routes throughout the country, thus contributing to developing local economies and strengthening social links”, IndiGo Authorities had said in a statement in November.
Features of ATR 72-600:
-Passenger capacity: 68-78 seats
-Engines: Pratt and Whitney 127M
-Maximum power at take-off: 2,750 horse power per engine
-Maximum weight at take-off: 23,000 Kg
-Maximum load: 7,500 Kg
-Maximum range with full passenger load: 900 nautical miles (1,665 Km)