Pratt & Whitney (P&W) expects its recovery from the PW1000G geared turbofan (GTF) recall to run through the end of this decade, while insisting it is taking steps now to significantly improve the reliability of its powerplants.
“We feel confident that by the end of this decade we are going to be in a more normalised state for sure,” P&W president of commercial engines Rick Deurloo said on 4 February during the Singapore air show.
His comments reflect the degree to which P&W’s engine recall, initiated several years ago and affecting essentially the entire in-service GTF fleet at that time, have upset both the engine maker and its customers, who have been forced to ground hundreds of GTF-equipped aircraft, mostly PW1100G-powered Airbus A320neo-family jets.
Deurloo notes that operators of Embraer E-Jet E2s, which use another GTF variant, the PW1900G, are nearly clear of the aircraft-on-ground (AOG) problem.
“We see this fleet completely coming out of the challenge of AOGs by the end of 2026,” Deurloo says.
The recall results from manufacturing issues that left GTF components less durable than expected.
P&W has several recovery initiatives under way.
An initial batch of GTF Advantage engines – a new, more-durable PW1100G variant – are now in final production, with P&W planning to begin shipping those to Airbus in the coming weeks, says Deurloo.
P&W plans over the next several years to ramp Advantage production and by 2028 to have switched production of the PW1100G to the newer variant.
This year P&W also expects to begin equipping in-service PW1100Gs with its “Hot Section Plus” upgrade, which involves giving those engines 35 hot-section components taken from the Advantage.
The company has been juggling the competing requirements of ramping both GTF production and GTF maintenance capacity.
Last year, P&W made more progress on the maintenance front, with that capacity rising by 26% year on year.
P&W’s large engine deliveries, meanwhile, inched up 6% year on year in 2025, to 1,055 units.
Deurloo says P&W is still working out its schedule of upcoming GTF deliveries to Airbus, which has been clamouring for more engines.
“We are still in dialogue with them right now, locking down the next few years,” he says.
