RTX, Pratt & Whitney's parent company, has revealed that inspections will be required for between 600 and 700 PW1100G engines from 2023 to 2026. This will lead to a substantial rise in grounded aircraft (AOG) levels for the A320 fleet powered by PW1100G throughout 2024-2026.
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The engine manufacturer has devised a management plan for the remaining engines in the fleet, which involves a mix of regular inspection protocols and life limits for high-pressure turbine disks and compressor disks.
This plan is set to be published in a service bulletin within the next 60 days after consultation with regulators. The Pratt & Whitney PW1100G, also referred to as the Geared Turbofan (GTF), is one of two options available to operators of the Airbus A320neo aircraft family, with the other being the CFM International LEAP-1A.
The company has already accounted for a pre-tax charge of $3 billion in Q3 2023 and anticipates that this issue will affect its pre-tax operating profit by $3 billion to $3.5 billion over the coming years. Pratt & Whitney is currently evaluating whether this powder metal issue will have an impact on other engine models, but it is currently believed that other models will be less affected based on existing inspections, lower utilization profiles, and maintenance intervals.