As more airlines face powerplant defects, the situation threatens the industry's busiest travel period.
CEO Bilal Ekşi revealed during an interview at the CAPA India Aviation Summit in New Delhi that Turkish Airlines had grounded four planes due to technical issues with Pratt GTF engines. He noted that long turnaround times for workshop visits and a lack of serviceable engines are exacerbating the problem.
Ekşi emphasized the seriousness of the ongoing discussions with Pratt & Whitney, expressing hope that only four jets will be grounded this summer.
Meanwhile, Air Baltic Corp AS CEO Martin Gauss claimed that Pratt failed to deliver on its promise of improved turnaround times, forcing the airline to lease additional capacity. Air Baltic previously reported that a quarter of its 40 Airbus A220 jets were out of service, necessitating leasing jets with crews for the summer season.
Pratt & Whitney did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Global carriers are grappling with engine shortages and a lack of spare parts, particularly for their latest generation narrowbody jets, posing a significant challenge to the resurgence of air travel.
IndiGo, India's largest airline, is seeking compensation from engine manufacturers for 30 grounded planes, while US budget carrier Spirit Airlines warned of scaling back growth plans due to faulty turbines.
