Did defective engines crash Vijay Mallya’s dream?

Businessman Vijay Mallya, who is wanted in India for a Rs 9,000-crore loan default, recently went on a tweeting frenzy, blaming ‘faulty’ Pratt & Whitney (PW) engines for the collapse of his Kingfisher Airlines.

The aerospace manufacturer has, however, stood by its product. A spokesperson for Pratt & Whitney Group said, “The V2500 engine has nearly 28 years of service and IAEAG has delivered more than 7,200 engines to nearly 190 customers around the world, which speaks for itself. We do not comment on pending litigation.” Mallya wrote on Twitter:

Not surprised at DGCA enquiry into Pratt & Whitney aircraft engines. Kingfisher Airlines sadly collapsed also due to faulty engines.

— Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 3, 2017

"Kingfisher Airlines sadly collapsed also due to faulty engines. We have sued IAE a Pratt & Whitney Group Company for compensation towards defective aircraft engines supplied to Kingfisher Airlines.” The former liquor baron’s comment came a few days after The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) launched an investigation into Pratt & Whitney engines in A320 NEO planes. These engines have reportedly been plagued with issues like slow engine startup times and erroneous engine software messages.