40 Wizz Air Airbus Planes Will Remain Grounded Until 2026 Due To Pratt & Whitney Engine Issues
Wizz Air announced on Tuesday that it would be forced to ground around 40 Airbus A320neo family aircraft in its fleet through 2026 as it struggles with Pratt & Whitney engine issues. It added in its release that it had signed a “commercial support agreement” with the engine manufacturer which also includes a compensation package.
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40 planes grounded
Just under 20% of the carrier’s A320neo family fleet will be grounded through fiscal year 2026 based on current fleet numbers, the airline announced, as it struggles with issues related to the aircraft’s Pratt & Whitney engines. Specifically, the airline cites troubles with powder metal issues on the PW1100G-JM turbofan (GTF) engines, which have also hit other carriers in a similar fashion.
Photo: Wizz Air
The carrier expects that as a result of required inspections on the GTF fleet, it will need to keep approximately 40 planes out of service at any given moment as a result. The airline has also signed a commercial support agreement with Pratt & Whitney, which will provide “both operational support and a compensation package”. The latter will mitigate the financial impact of Wizz Air’s costs related to the planes that require grounding both historically and in the future. Specifically, the carrier revealed:
“The commercial support from Pratt & Whitney, which extends through the end of calendar year 2026, includes both operational support and a compensation package covering the Company’s direct costs associated with the aircraft that have been grounded or are expected to be grounded and is on terms consistent with levels of support currently being received by the Company.”
It clarified that the two entities were working together to “take proactive action” and mitigate the impact of the grounding on both an operational and financial level. Come 2026, as the airline anticipates an exit from its PW woes, Wizz Air will return to growth. It hopes to take 50 new Airbus A321neo planes and will grow its overall seat capacity by “about 20%.”
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Despite the current PW1100G problems, Wizz Air expected that it would return to capacity growth in the next financial year.
The addition of such new aircraft during the 2026 fiscal year will allow it to increase the aircraft type’s share within the Wizz Air fleet to 77%, “as the Company continues its retirement of A320CEO family aircraft, further bolstering its fuel-efficient operations and its market-leading sustainability credentials.”
Photo: Wizz Air
The current A320neo fleet
Wizz Air’s current Airbus A320neo fleet consists of “over 220 Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft.” According to ch-aviation data, the following group subsidiaries operate Airbus A320neo family planes.
|
Company |
Airbus A320neos |
Airbus A321neos |
|---|---|---|
|
Wizz Air (Hungary) |
3 |
62 |
|
Wizz Air Malta |
6 |
74 |
|
Wizz Air UK |
18 |
|
|
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi |
4 |
|
|
Total |
9 |
158 |
The current fleet of A320neo family planes therefore consists of 167 planes. The airline plans to take delivery of hundreds more over the coming years. It is worth noting that in August 2023, Wizz Air had signed for an additional 75 A321neos, which brought its total commitment for the aircraft family to 565 planes.
Some of Wizz Air’s current A320neo family fleet are wet-leased in from other operators as the carrier grapples with the engine issues and resultant groundings.
In 2023, P&W revealed that more than 1000 plane engines needed to be removed from Airbus aircraft for microscopic crack checks. It added that the “rare condition” would affect 1200 engines built for the Airbus A320neo between 2015 and 2021.
In September, the company issued another update concerning the GTF fleet. It said that as a result of “recent updates” to powder metal issues, it would need to remove between 600 and 700 engines between 2023 and 2026. In other words, up to 350 aircraft could be impacted by these checks, requiring “higher aircraft on ground” as the shop visits are carried out.
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Pratt & Whitney Engine Flaws Will Lead To Over 3,000 Inspections
Inspections could take up to 300 days for each engine.
It said that the majority of the “incremental engine removals” were planned for 2023 and early 2024. At the time, the company said:
“The ultimate operational impact of the powder metal issue is subject to various data-driven assumptions that Pratt & Whitney continues to refine, including, among other items, shop visit quantity, workscope, turnaround time, and part availability.”
Pratt & Whitney’s 2025 isn’t going especially well so far, and it’s only day two at the time of publication. Earlier today, it emerged that airBaltic was facing significant issues with its Airbus A220 fleet, which led it to axe 19 routes from its summer 2025 schedule.
