Greek carrier Aegean estimates that the airline will need another 24-28 months to complete the cycle of Pratt & Whitney GTF engine inspections on its Airbus A320neo-family fleet.
Chief executive Dimitris Gerogiannis says this will enable all its new aircraft gradually to return to full operational capacity.
“[This is] an important milestone that will positively affect both unit costs and our growth potential,” he states.
Aegean is expanding its fleet with six aircraft this year – three of which, all A320neo-family jets, have already arrived. Over the final four months of 2025 it will bring in two A321neos and an ATR 72-600.
The airline is introducing long-range A321XLRs and A321LRs which, says Gerogiannis, will enable it to offer “a new level of comfort and service” on routes beyond the European Union – the carrier is aiming to enter the Indian market early next year.
Aegean experienced a challenging second quarter, affected by the suspension of Middle Eastern services in May-June, and its seat capacity for the three months was just 2% more than last year’s figure.
It has also faced stronger competition from increased market capacity from a “significant number of other airlines”, says Gerogiannis.
“[This] creates a highly-competitive environment, where passengers enjoy more choices and product quality becomes an ever more critical differentiator,” he adds.
But despite the issues, Aegean turned in a strong second-quarter performance, with pre-tax profit up 27% to €73.5 million ($87 million).
As a result, Aegean managed to double pre-tax profit for the first half to €66 million, while net profit also doubled to just under €48 million.