Pratt & Whitney PW1100G Engine Inspections Lead to Wizz Air Capacity Cuts at London Airports

In response to mandatory inspections of the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G aircraft engine, commonly referred to as the Geared Turbofan (GTF), Wizz Air has been compelled to reduce its operational capacity at two major London airports.

Between September and October 2023, Wizz Air will be implementing flight reductions at London Gatwick Airport (LGW) and Luton Airport (LTN). This strategic adjustment to their flight network stems from the need for thorough inspections of the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engines, which power the airline’s Airbus A320neo fleet.

Wizz Air has taken steps to address this challenge by canceling certain flights on specific days across select routes. However, precise details regarding the affected routes and the extent of the capacity reduction at the two London airports have not been provided by the company.

During the announcement of its Q1 FY24 results on August 3, 2023, József Váradi, the CEO of Wizz Air, noted that the airline possesses limited information about the scope of engine inspections for the latter half of the year. Váradi emphasized that the company’s guidance of achieving over 30% growth in Available Seat Kilometers (ASK) compared to the previous year remains subject to additional communication from the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) regarding this matter.

The airline had previously expected its H1 FY24 capacity, measured in ASK, to increase by 25%. However, this growth was slightly impacted by a 5% reduction caused by infrastructure and supply chain constraints, in addition to the PW1100G engine inspections. Despite these challenges, Wizz Air remains optimistic that the capacity expansion will contribute to improved yield, especially considering the ongoing limitations on market capacity.

Parent company RTX, responsible for Pratt & Whitney, recently communicated the necessity of inspecting the PW1100G engine, which exclusively powers the Airbus A320neo aircraft series. The decision to accelerate fleet inspection emerged due to a rare condition identified in the powder metal used for certain engine components. As a result, a significant number of inspections and removals are slated to occur within the next nine to twelve months, including around 200 accelerated removals by mid-September of the current year.

Wizz Air operates a fleet of 191 Airbus A320ceo and A320neo aircraft, distributed across four distinct Air Operator’s Certificates (AOC). Among these, 103 are variants of the A320neo family, such as the A320neo, A321neo, and a single A321LR. Notably, two of these aircraft are currently in storage, based on information from ch-aviation.com.

Wizz Air UK, the airline’s United Kingdom subsidiary, boasts a fleet of 17 aircraft, with nine of them being A321neos, including one A321LR leased from Titan Airways.