Pratt & Whitney Engine Issues: The Latest Impact To Airlines
With 57 airlines affected around the world, this is a global issue.
SUMMARY
- Pratt & Whitney has announced a recall of 1,200 engines due to microscopic cracks, causing operational disruptions for airlines worldwide.
- The durability problems of the GTF engines are compounded by the risk of crack formation, with 11% of GTF-powered A320 aircraft currently parked.
- The engine issue has significant impacts on airlines, with carriers being forced to ground fleets and source spare parts to avoid disruptions during peak summer travel demand.
With the issue of the Pratt & Whitney (P&W) engines, the company has had to order over a thousand PW1100G engines for further inspection, which has now resulted in airlines around the world facing operational disruptions and being forced to change their schedules and growth plans.
The recall
On July 26th, Pratt & Whitney announced that around 1,200 of the company’s 3,000 Geared Turbofan (GTF) engines would have to be recalled for further inspection of microscopic cracks caused due to a rare condition in the powdered metal used to make the engines’ high-pressure turbine disks. As reported by the Financial Times, these engines would now have to be inspected ahead of the currently planned maintenance schedule.
During the earnings call last month, P&W’s parent company Raytheon Technologies (RTX), stated that while this issue is not a threat, rectifying it will be expensive, and the airlines will be compensated.
The engine type in question was initially introduced back in 2016 and is one of the two powerplant options available for the operators of the Airbus A320neo aircraft. Considering that the type is incredibly popular amongst operators worldwide, the issue with the engines is now affecting 57 airlines around the world.
The potential risk of cracks being formed only adds to the durability problems the GTF engines have faced previously, and the reports indicate that 11% of the GTF-powered A320 aircraft are currently parked.
A third of the aircraft that are parked belong to the Indian carrier, Go First. While the airline’s operations are suspended pending bankruptcy proceedings, it is worth noting that it also faced engine troubles with Pratt & Whitney while operational.
The manufacturer aims to commence inspecting around 200 of the affected engines by mid-September later this year.
The impacts
Considering that 57 different carriers have been affected by this engine issue and have been forced to ground portions of their fleet, airlines may be facing significant operational impacts.
This has resulted in operators affected being forced to source spare parts and engines to avoid flight disruptions during this period of peak summer travel demand. Spirit Airlines reportedly will withdraw seven A320neo aircraft from service next month in compliance with P&W’s recall. However, the airline may face similar disruptions in the future as Spirit is the largest US operator of the GTF engines and use it on 79 of the carrier’s A320neo jets.
Elsewhere in Europe, Wizz Air will also be impacted as it cuts its Summer growth target from 30% down to 25% and is considering reducing flights operated from London Luton Airport (LTN) and London Gatwick Airport (LGW) during September and October. Additionally, the airline has reported that due to the ongoing engine issues, aircraft availability will be affected due to a lack of spare engines and busy repair schedules.
Furthermore, Hawaii Airlines has now suspended operations on five of the carrier’s routes citing operational challenges faced due to Pratt & Whitney recalling engines. However, In this case, the PW1100G engines are being used in the fleet of 18 Airbus A321neo aircraft carriers.
Finally, RTX themselves are facing impacts caused due to engine troubles. RTX share prices dived more than 11% as a result of the recall, and the company expects a drop of $500 million from its profits.
News taken from: SimpleFlying
