Limited spare engine availability for the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G has impacted several Airbus A320neo operators over the past year.
Limited spare engine availability for the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G has hit operations at numerous Airbus A320neo operators over the past year, and the situation was even blamed by Indian carrier Go First for its slide into bankruptcy.
Less well reported, but just as troubling for affected operators, are similar problems around other members of the geared turbofan family.
The latest complaint is from regional carrier KLM Cityhopper, which is struggling to fully deploy its 15 Embraer 195-E2 aircraft due to issues with their PW1900G engines. As a result, it has had to adjust its summer schedule and retain older-generation Embraer E190 aircraft for longer than planned.
The PW1500G for the A220 is also raising hackles, with Lufthansa indicating recently that about a third of subsidiary Swiss’ A220s were out of service due to Pratt & Whitney engine issues.
Lufthansa Group A320neos have also been affected, as have A320neos at other airlines,
Hawaiian Airlines CEO Peter Ingram said recently that the airline is “still plagued with limitations on our A321neo fleet capacity as a result of our engine suppliers' inability to meet fair engine commitments amidst an overtaxed engine overhaul supply chain.”
Hawaiian grounded five out of its 18 Airbus A321neos due to the lack of engines to cover maintenance work. Another U.S. carrier, Spirit Airlines, also continues to have problems with the Pratt engine.
“We continue to be hampered by [A320neo] engine availability and pilot attrition issues that are preventing us from ramping up aircraft utilization,” said Spirit’s Chief Financial Officer, Scott Haralson, in its recent results. “The [A320neo] engine issues should improve as the year progresses but will likely remain a drag on utilization for the rest of the year.”
In February, Spirit noted that PW1100G engine removals had been well above expected levels, with CEO Ted Christie saying: “Over the last six months, the GTF [A320neo] engine has experienced diminished service availability, an issue that has been steadily increasing over this period.”
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