The number of stored jets powered by Pratt & Whitney (P&W) PW1000G-family turbofans jumped nearly 90 aircraft since mid-year, as the world’s airlines continued working through an operational upheaval caused by engine recalls.
At end-October, airlines globally held 835 jets with the geared turbofans (GTFs) in storage, up from 748 stored jets at mid-year, according to a review of fleet data provided by Cirium. The world’s airlines had another 1,723 GTF-powered aircraft in service at the end of October, equating to a total fleet 33% storage rate.
Affected GTFs variants include PW1100Gs, which power Airbus A320neo-family jets, the PW1500Gs that power A220s, and the PW1900Gs found on Embraer E-Jet E2s. P&W also developed the PW1400G for Russian manufacturer Irkut’s MC-21, but only three of that type with GTFs are in service, with none in storage, according to Cirium data.
Cirium classifies aircraft that have not moved for 30 days as in storage. It does not specify why the aircraft have not moved, meaning some are surely listed as stored for reasons unrelated to the sweeping GTF recall.
Still, sources have cited the recall, which has been ongoing for several years, as a primary factor forcing airlines to pull the jets from service.
By comparison, 155 aircraft powered by CFM International Leap turbofans – the GTF’s primary competitor – were stored at end-October, accounting for 3.5% of that fleet. That figure is up from 120 stored aircraft three months ago.
CFM has been dealing with its own reliability issues, including those particularly affecting Leaps operated in dusty and sandy regions. Leap-1As are the second power option for A320neo family jets, while Leap-1Bs are the only available engine for Boeing’s 737 Max family. CFM also supplies Leap-1Cs for Chinese-made Comac C919s.
P&W, a division of RTX, in 2023 disclosed the GTF recall, saying the engines required earlier-than-expected maintenance because they may contain internal metallic components that are defective and therefore subject to early failure. RTX attributes the defects to errors introduced when the parts were manufactured using a process involving powdered metal. Completing the maintenance work can require aircraft be out of service for roughly one year, P&W has said.
Cirium figures show that while the number of stored aircraft with GTFs increased through this year to 835 at end-October, the percentage of those aircraft to the broader GTF-powered fleet remained relatively constant in recent quarters at roughly one-third, a consequence of the fleet size increasing with ongoing aircraft deliveries.
FlightGlobal reviewed Cirium data from end-October because data from several months ago tends to be more accurate than newer figures, which are subject to more revisions to account for recent aircraft status changes, Cirium has said.
The vast majority of recall-affected jets are A320neo-family aircraft; 720 of those were stored at end-October, accounting for 38% of the 1,912-strong fleet at the time, Cirium data shows. Also in storage were 86 A220s (19% of that fleet) and 29 E-Jet E2s (16% of the fleet).
P&W declines to confirm how many aircraft are out of service due to the recall.
Executives have repeatedly insisted the company’s recovery plan remains on track, with groundings likely to extend beyond 2026.
“We are focused on returning our customers’ aircraft to service as quickly as possible and are working around the clock to support them. As MRO output is a key enabler for reducing AOGs [aircraft on ground], we’ve worked to significantly grow our MRO capabilities this year,” P&W says. “We’re also delivering improvements in GTF durability by incorporating new hot section parts during MRO visits and working to bring the GTF Hot Section Plus upgrade option and GTF Advantage to market in 2026. These combined efforts will continue to support the strong demand we’ve seen this year for the GTF.”
RTX earlier this year noted that its maintenance capacity was up 35% year on year, and that suppliers had ramped production of high-demand engine components.
This year P&W also began equipping in-service PW1100Gs, during maintenance visits, with more-durable hot-section parts as part of a “D.1” upgrade that increases engine time-on-wing 40% compared to earlier GTFs, P&W commercial engines president Rick Deurloo said in May. That update involves a redesigned bearing compartment, new turbine hardware and combustor panels manufactured differently – using “water-jet hole drilling versus laser-jet hole drilling”.
P&W plans to extend the D.1 upgrade to newly manufactured engines with deliveries starting in the first half of 2026, it has said.
The company is also working to certificate its Hot Section Plus (HS+) upgrade option for in-service PW1100Gs – a retrofit involving equipping engines with 35 new components that are otherwise unique to its GTF Advantage.
The Advantage is a new PW1100G variant scheduled for service entry next year that P&W says will provide more thrust and, according to Deurloo, about 80% more time-on-wing than earlier GTFs, thanks to additional cooling and use of components like “double-walled vanes”.
Meantime, airlines continue working through massive operational disruptions resulting from the recall.
The issue, for instance, left Canada’s Air Transat with six-to-eight A321LRs out of service on average during the past 12 months, that airline’s chief executive Annick Guerard recently said. The carrier only has 19 of the jets.
Two Mexican airlines – Volaris and VivaAerobus – have been particularly hard hit. At end-October, 36 of Volaris’ 91 A320neo variants were in storage, as were 28 of VivaAerobus’s 59 GTF-powered jets in that family, Cirium shows.
