The number of grounded Airbus and Embraer jets powered by Pratt & Whitney (P&W) PW1000G-turbofans has ticked up in recent months as carriers continue pulling aircraft from service due to a hugely disruptive engine recall.
A combined 739 A320neo-family jets, A220s and E-Jets E2 are now tagged by data analytics firm Cirium as in “storage” – about one-third of the roughly 2,310 aircraft globally powered by P&W’s line-up of PW1000G geared turbofans (GTFs).
That is up from October last year, when 687 GTF-powered jets were grounded, which was also one-third of the fleet at the time.
To be clear, Cirium does not specify why jets have been placed into storage, meaning some were surely removed from service due to reasons other than P&W’s ongoing and hugely disruptive GTF recall.
But Cirium has previously said the recall is likely the reason most GTF-powered jets have been in storage. And by comparison, Cirium data shows that only 92 aircraft with CFM International’s competing Leap turbofans are now stored – about 2.4% of that 3,812-strong global fleet. Cirium classifies jets as in storage if they have not moved in 30 days.
PW1000G variants include the A320neo family’s PW1100G, the A220’s PW1500G and the E-Jet E2 family’s PW1900G. Leaps power Boeing’s 737 Max and are a second engine option for the A320neo family.
While disruptions continue, P&W parent RTX’s chief executive Christopher Calio said on 19 February that the number of aircraft grounded due to the recall has “stabilised”. The company’s GTF recovery plan, including the pace of engine inspections and testing, is tracking to plan, adds Calio, speaking during an investor conference hosted by Barclays.
RTX disclosed the recall in 2023, saying some internal PW1000G metallic components might be subject to early failure due to defects introduced while manufacturing the components using powdered metal. At the time, RTX said required inspections and part replacements would leave affected engines out of service for up to 300 days.
Of the 739 GTF-powered jets now in storage, 601 are A320neos and A321neos, accounting for 34% of that 1,750-strong fleet, Cirium data shows. Another 102 A220s are in storage (25% of that fleet) as are 36 E-Jet E2s (23%).
Airlines from all corners of the globe are affected.
Mexican airline Volaris has 32 A320neos and A321neos in storage, US discounter Spirit Airlines has 29 A320neos down and Spanish airline Vueling has 18 GTF-powered jets in storage, Cirium shows. Swiss has another 18 jets parked, Turkish Airlines has 14 A321neos sidelined and JetBlue Airways has six A220s and nine A321neos stored.
In a 14 February securities filing, New York-based JetBlue revealed the extent of the disruption, writing, “The company currently expects each removed engine to take approximately 360 days to complete a shop visit and return to a serviceable condition”.
And in January, JetBlue chief financial officer Ursula Hurley said the worst was yet to come, predicting the number of JetBlue aircraft grounded due to the GTF recall will peak in the next “one or two years”.
The recall has been particularly disruptive owing to limited availability of engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) capacity – an issue intertwined with labour and parts shortages.
Speaking on 19 February, RTX’s Calio cited “materials flow” – meaning availability of engine components such as cast metal parts – as the prime factor limiting the pace of recall work. “Once we get material into our MRO shops, our turnaround times are really quite strong.”
RTX and competitor CFM have recently had success ramping up their maintenance operations.
RTX says its PW1100G maintenance output jumped 30% in 2024, and GE Aerospace, which co-owns CFM with Safran Aircraft Engines, reported that its number of Leap shop visits jumped 20% year on year in the fourth quarter of 2024.
GE and CFM have been working through Leap durability problems, though those issues have been far less disruptive than the PW1000G recall.
RTX has said the recall will leave substantial numbers of jets grounded through 2026. But Calio now clarifies that disruptions will continue beyond then.
“We are not going to wake up on January 1, 2027 and have the entire fleet cleared, but we anticipate being in a much, much more manageable position,” he said on 19 February.
