Problems with Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan engines will result in the grounding of 600 to 650 aircraft globally next year, potentially impacting 57 airlines.
Approximately 350 A320neo-family planes will be grounded on average during engine inspections and repairs, with the number peaking in the first half of 2024, affecting about half of the global fleet of 1,360 geared turbofan-equipped A320neos.
The quality issues impact around 3,000 of the PW1000G engines used on Airbus A320neo aircraft, specifically the PW1100G variant, with an estimated 600-700 requiring repair. Repairs will be conducted through 2026, involving engine removal from the wings and taking 200-250 days per aircraft.
Pratt initially suggested that regular maintenance visits could address the issue, but they later announced the need to inspect and potentially remove 200 engines from service.
Airlines affected include Delta, Air China, Turkish, Lufthansa, IndiGo, Jetblue, ANA, Spirit, Sichuan, Wizz, Frontier, Volaris, S7, Viva Aerobus, Hawaiian, and GoFirst.
Wizz Air is reducing its summer growth target and considering reducing flights operated from London Luton and London Gatwick airports due to engine issues and lack of spare engines.
Lufthansa Group subsidiaries Brussels Airlines, Swiss, and Lufthansa CityLine operate A320neo/A321neo type aircraft equipped with the affected engines. “Based on current assumptions, we expect on average, around twenty A320neo family aircraft will be grounded on any day in 2024,” a statement from Lufthansa said.
Hawaiian Airlines has suspended operations on five routes due to engine recalls.
Spirit Airlines, the largest US operator of the affected engines, will withdraw seven A320neo aircraft from service to comply with the recall.
Pratt & Whitney’s parent company, Raytheon Technologies, expects a $500m drop in profits, and its share prices have declined over 11pc as a result of the recall.
IN his H1 report in November 2023, Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary referenced the Pratt & Whitney problems affecting Lufthansa and Wizz as impact8ing capacity in Europe next summer, potentially causing air fares to rise.
