Lufthansa grounds aircrafts; Citing similar engine issues faced by “Go First”

After Go First grounded its aircraft, international carrier Lufthansa announced on Thursday that it would be temporarily grounding a third of its Airbus A220 fleet in Zurich, Switzerland, citing 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.

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

"Go First is facing [a] 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.