Wizz Air is the largest operator of Airbus A321neo aircraft.
The chief executive of one of Europe’s biggest low-cost carriers, Wizz Air, has played down problems affecting the global fleet of Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan (GTF) engines.
However, Jozsef Varadi also criticized manufacturers for being “too eager” to bring new engine technologies to market, saying that they “should have done more testing” and that they had outsourced the risks of this to the airline industry.
Nonetheless, he was relatively sanguine about the issue, adding that the technology “just needs to mature.”
Unlike many GTF operators, Wizz Air has not had any aircraft grounded due to GTF issues. The group operates almost 100 Airbus A320neo and A321neo aircraft across its airlines, with almost all of these powered by the GTF.
“We are probably one of the only airlines in the world that has not been grounding aircraft because of the engines,” he said. “Everyone else is grounding because of a lack of spares but we have stocked up on spares.”
Varadi also noted that Wizz Air had moved to “de-risk” its operations in the Middle East—where the hot and sandy environment poses bigger problems for GTF reliability—by using current generation A321s in that region.
He added: “GTF performance in Europe is not perfect but it is manageable.”
Wizz Air is forecasting net profit of up to €450 million ($485 million) in the 2023-24 financial year, following a loss of €535 million in 2022-23.
Over the next year the airline plans to grow its fleet from 179 to 205 aircraft. Over the same period its share of Airbus neo aircraft is set to grow from 49% to 63%.
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