Philippine Airlines (PAL) expects up to two more A321neo aircraft to be grounded due to maintenance backlogs and issues with Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan engines, specifically regarding powder metal components.
Currently, PAL operates five out of its eight A321neo aircraft, while three A321-200Ns are grounded in Manila, and both A321-200NX are still in service.
The delivery timetable for PAL’s remaining thirteen A321neo aircraft is uncertain. As a backup, the airline will continue relying on its A320ceo family fleet while any other grounded neo aircraft are addressed.
PAL, along with its subsidiary PAL Express, operates a total of 15 A320-200s and 22 A321-200s.
PAL’s longest routes serviced by the A321neo are from Manila to Brisbane International and Perth International, with block times exceeding seven hours. Finding replacement aircraft for these routes is challenging as the older generation ceo aircraft may not be easily swapped.
Pratt & Whitney’s PW1000G engines, specifically the PW1100G variant, are facing significant problems which are impacting 57 airlines affected around the world.
Airlines impacted include Delta, Air China, Turkish, Lufthansa, IndiGo, Jetblue, ANA, Spirit, Sichuan, Wizz, Frontier, Volaris, S7, Viva Aerobus, Hawaiian and GoFirst.
