The maintenance issue causing chaos with Pratt & Whitney engines around the world is likely to cause significant delays to Air New Zealand’s operations, the airline has reported.
In a statement to the NZX, the airline outlined how many of its aircraft will be affected by the problem.
In July 2023, Pratt & Whitney disclosed a condition affecting the maintenance plan for the global Geared Turbo-Fan (GTF) jet engine fleet. Overnight, Pratt & Whitney provided a further market update stating that approximately 600 to 700 engines globally will be impacted over the next three years.
“Currently, Air New Zealand has 16 A320/321NEO aircraft in its fleet of 106 aircraft, servicing Australia and the Pacific Island markets and, to a much lesser extent, domestic New Zealand. This issue will further reduce engine availability and is expected to have a significant impact on the airline’s schedule from January 2024. It does not present a safety issue,” the airline said.
“Following this most recent market update, Air New Zealand will work with Pratt & Whitney to implement the new maintenance plan and assess how this may affect the airline’s future schedule.
“Pratt & Whitney has indicated that the revised maintenance plan will be completed within the next two months. While there is no immediate impact to Air New Zealand’s flights, it is likely the airline will need to make adjustments to its schedule in coming months, some of which may be significant.”
“The airline requests customers do not call its Contact Centre. Customers will be advised once the impacts to the schedule have been assessed.”
Other airlines likely to be affected include Wizz Air, Lufthansa, Delta, Indigo and Volaris.
“Pratt & Whitney has determined that a rare condition in powder metal used to manufacture certain engine parts will require accelerated fleet inspection. This does not impact engines currently being produced,” RTX the subsidiary of Pratt & Whitney said in a statement.
“As a result, the business anticipates that a significant portion of the PW1100G-JM engine fleet, which powers the A320 Neo, will require accelerated removals and inspections within the next nine to 12 months, including approximately 200 accelerated removals by mid-September of this year. The business is working to minimise operational impacts and support its customers.”
