Wizz Air sees 10% capacity reduction in H2 2024 amid Pratt & Whitney inspection
10:39 am Monday, September 11th, 2023
(Reuters) -Wizz Air said on Monday it estimates a potential 10% capacity reduction in the second half of fiscal 2024, due to an inspection of Pratt & Whitney’s turbofans.
Aerospace supplier RTX had earlier in the day said 600 to 700 geared turbofan engines (GTF) will have to be removed for quality checks that will likely cause some of its aircraft to be grounded.
While airline operators around the world have struggled to increase capacity to meet the boom in demand for travel after pandemic restrictions eased, Wizz, which flies Airbus planes, has had to navigate additional challenges after Pratt & Whitney earlier in the year said more than 1,000 engines needed to be removed from Airbus planes and checked for microscopic cracks.
Wizz said it will continue to work with RTX unit Pratt & Whitney to minimize the impact to its fleet plan and costs to the business, adding it will be seeking financial compensation.
Separately, German partner MTU Aero Engines, which controls 18% of the GTF program, warned its own revenue and profit could be impacted this year.
(Reporting by Chandini Monnappa in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)
