{"id":67791,"date":"2024-08-02T00:27:10","date_gmt":"2024-08-01T18:57:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/?p=67791"},"modified":"2024-08-08T21:02:33","modified_gmt":"2024-08-08T15:32:33","slug":"spirit-defers-delivery-of-airbus-a320neo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/02\/spirit-defers-delivery-of-airbus-a320neo\/","title":{"rendered":"Spirit Defers Delivery of New Airbus A320neo Powered by Pratt and Whitney Engines"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

FLORIDA-<\/strong> Spirit Airlines (NK)<\/a> defers Airbus A320neo-family jet deliveries amid competitive pressures and Pratt & Whitney engine issues. The US discount carrier pushes back deliveries scheduled for July 2025 to end 2026 to 2030 and 2031.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This decision, announced with Spirit’s second-quarter financial results on August 1, affects six aircraft according to Cirium data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Spirit
Photo: By Tom\u00e1s Del Coro from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA – N903NK Spirit Airlines 2016 Airbus A320-271N – cn 7011, CC BY-SA 2.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=58158083<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Spirit Defers Airbus Delivery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The airline simultaneously announces the furlough of approximately 240 pilots. This workforce reduction aligns with Spirit’s strategy to streamline operations in response to perceived market overcapacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spirit Airlines reports a $193 million loss<\/strong> in the second quarter of 2024, with first-half losses totaling $336 million. The airline attributes these financial challenges to an oversupply of industry capacity relative to leisure demand, according to Chief Commercial Officer Matt Klein.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spirit’s decision to defer A320neo-family jet deliveries follows JetBlue Airways (B6)’ similar move. JetBlue delayed the delivery of 44 A321neos until 2030<\/a> and later, created a gap in deliveries from 2026 to 2029.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both airlines face operational disruptions due to Pratt & Whitney’s recall of PW1100G geared turbofan engines. These engines, powering A320neo-family aircraft<\/a>, require early inspections and part replacements due to manufacturing issues involving powdered metal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spirit anticipates 20 of its jets will be grounded through year-end, representing about 20% of its A320neo-family fleet and 10% of its total fleet. The airline projects this impact to worsen in 2025, with 25 grounded aircraft in early 2025, increasing to 67 by year-end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The maintenance work on these engines is taking over 400 days per engine, hampered by part shortages and insufficient maintenance-shop capacity. This extended downtime significantly impacts Spirit’s operational capacity and flexibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Spirit
Photo:- Pratt And Whitney<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Issues with 1000s of Engines<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Pratt & Whitney’s engine recalls affect over 1,000 PW1000G-family engines, grounding an average of 350 A320neo-family jets between 2024 and 2026. RTX CEO Chris Calio stated on July 25 that P&W has been shipping only engines with non-defective, full-life parts to Airbus since late last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spirit Airlines acknowledges P&W’s progress in delivering new, non-defective PW1100Gs but remains uncertain about potential early maintenance needs for these engines. This uncertainty reflects ongoing concerns about engine reliability beyond the known powder-metal issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JetBlue expects 11 A321neos to be out of service this year due to PW1100G problems. CFO Ursula Hurley revealed that most of these maintenance events are unrelated to the powder-metal issue, citing unscheduled engine maintenance causing premature removals, some after just one year of operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are your thoughts on Pratt and Whitney engine issues? Let us know in the comments<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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