In late 2023 and through 2024, an engine manufacturing fault forced airlines around the world to ground hundreds of Airbus narrowbody jets. The problem affected the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G geared turbofan engine, used on the A320neo and A321neo — two of the most popular aircraft types in service today.
What happened
In September 2023, the US engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney announced that some of its PW1100G geared turbofan (GTF) engines had been built using contaminated metal powder. The contamination affected certain high-pressure turbine and compressor components, which could develop microscopic cracks and potentially fail in service. Airlines were required to remove these engines from their aircraft and send them for inspection and replacement of the affected parts.
The scale of the problem became apparent as 2023 turned into 2024. At the peak, more than 600 Airbus A320neo and A321neo aircraft were grounded globally — roughly a third of the entire fleet powered by these engines. The inspection process, which originally took around 60 days, stretched beyond 300 days as the number of engines needing attention overwhelmed the capacity of available maintenance facilities.
Airlines across Asia were among the hardest hit. IndiGo, India’s largest carrier, had to wet-lease aircraft from other operators to maintain its routes. Budget carriers in Europe and the United States, including Frontier Airlines, also removed jets from service and sought replacement capacity at short notice.
Why it matters
The Pratt & Whitney GTF crisis showed how dependent modern aviation is on a small number of engine manufacturers. When a widespread fault is discovered across an entire engine family, the effects on airlines, passengers, and the broader supply chain can be enormous. The A320neo and A321neo are among the world’s most popular narrowbody aircraft, and removing a third of their fleet from service caused disruption across routes and markets globally.
For passengers, grounded aircraft meant cancellations, delays, and higher fares on affected routes. For airlines, the cost of wet-leasing replacement aircraft, paying compensation, and losing revenue from idle jets added up to hundreds of millions of dollars in losses.
What comes next
Pratt & Whitney’s parent company, RTX, set aside billions of dollars to cover the costs of the recall. The manufacturer predicted the crisis would keep an average of 350 A320neo-family jets out of service between 2024 and 2026, as the inspection and repair backlog was gradually worked through. Some airlines renegotiated delivery schedules as they tried to manage the shortfall in available aircraft. The crisis also prompted regulators and airlines to re-examine the risks of relying heavily on a single engine type across large portions of a fleet.
Key vocabulary:
- geared turbofan – a type of jet engine that uses a gearbox to connect the large front fan to the engine core, improving fuel efficiency; the PW1100G is a geared turbofan
- contamination – the presence of unwanted material or impurities; here, impure metal powder used to manufacture engine components
- wet lease – an arrangement where an airline rents an aircraft from another operator, complete with crew, maintenance, and insurance; used when a carrier’s own jets are unavailable
- compressor – a section of a jet engine that compresses incoming air before it enters the combustion chamber; cracking in this area poses a serious safety risk
- recall – when a manufacturer requires products to be returned for inspection or repair due to a known defect
- backlog – a build-up of work or orders that has not yet been completed; here, the queue of engines awaiting inspection and repair
CEFR Level B1-B2 / ICAO Level 4-5