Airlines in the US and Europe are scrambling to find spare parts to avoid canceling flights after engine maker Pratt & Whitney issued a recall, writes the Financial Times.
P&W’s announcement that more than a thousand engines in Airbus planes must be dismantled and inspected has forced a large number of airlines to reschedule flights or ground aircraft.
Wizz Air has reduced its growth target and is considering temporarily reducing the number of flights, warning that engine problems are putting pressure on maintenance operations. Spirit Airlines has told investors that fewer flights will be operated this month.
P&W issued the recall after discovering contamination in the metal used to manufacture certain engine parts, which could cause cracks. Parent company RTX said about 1,200 of the company’s 3,000 turbofan engines would need to be inspected earlier than planned. Approximately 200 of these inspections will take place by mid-September.
The GTF engine, introduced in 2016, is one of two that can be used in the world’s best-selling Airbus A320neo aircraft.
RTX promised to compensate the airlines. CEO Greg Hayes said pulling the engines “isn’t an existential threat” to either RTX or P&W, but admitted it “will be expensive.”
2023-08-20 23:31:25
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