JetBlue Airways reports that it takes roughly one year on average for its Pratt & Whitney (P&W) engines to return to service once taken off-wing for inspections and repairs.
Long beset by double-digit numbers of grounded A321neos powered by PW1100G geared turbofan (GTF) engines, New York-based JetBlue shared insight into how long individual engines are held out of service in a 14 February filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
“The company currently expects each removed engine to take approximately 360 days to complete a shop visit and return to a serviceable condition,” JetBlue says.
While other operators of affected Airbus narrowbodies have noted that P&W’s inspection process requires engines to be off-wing for months-long periods, JetBlue’s filing reveals the magnitude of the lost flying opportunities.
Company executives warned during JetBlue’s most-recent earnings call that the worst of its GTF-related groundings are yet to come.
Ursula Hurley, JetBlue’s chief financial officer, said the company anticipates “hitting peak AOG” [aircraft on ground] within the next “one to two years”.
JetBlue says it averaged 11 narrowbody Airbus jets – including A321neos and A220-300s – grounded for engine inspections and repairs throughout 2024.
The company expects its average number of grounded jets to rise into the “mid-to-high teens” this year, Hurley says, while the outlook for 2026 is unclear.
P&W launched its GTF recall in July 2023 to inspect engines for potential defects involving parts made from powdered metal.
The inspections have proven massively disruptive for Airbus A320neo-family, A220 and Embraer E190-E2 operators worldwide.
”As a result of these required inspections and other engine reliability deficiencies, as of December 31, 2024 we had 11 aircraft grounded due to lack of engine availability,” JetBlue says.
