Pratt & Whitney (P&W) closed 2025 having delivered slightly more large commercial turbofans than in 2024, and executives insist the engine maker’s planned recovery from its PW1000G geared-turbofan (GTF) recall remains on track.
P&W handed over 1,055 large turbofans last year, 6% more than the 996 engines it delivered in 2024, parent company RTX said on 27 January when disclosing its 2025 financial results.
The engines consist primarily of GTFs, including the PW1100G variant that powers Airbus A320neo-family jets, and smaller variants for A220s and Embraer E-Jet E2s.
P&W has been working to ramp GTF production to meet demand both from airframers – namely Airbus, which is eager to boost output – and from customers needing spare engines to replace those off-wing for repair.
The recall affects thousands of GTF-powered jets. The engines need inspections and part replacements because they may contain metallic components subject to early failure, the result of manufacturing defects.
Similarly, the recall has strained P&W’s GTF maintenance network.
Speaking during RTX’s fourth-quarter earnings call, company chief executive Christopher Calio says the number of aircraft-on-ground due to the recall declined in the fourth quarter and is now down 20% from highs in 2025.
“We expect this trend to continue as we move throughout the year,” says Calio. “MRO output remains the key enabler, and that continues to improve.”
Specifically, P&W’s PW1100G maintenance output increased 26% year on year in 2025, and 39% year on year in the fourth quarter, Calio adds. “We are making good progress… We ended the year on a strong note.”
During 2025, P&W added two new maintenance shops to its network: Sanad Group in the United Arab Emirates and Spain’s ITP Aero.
P&W has not specified the number of jets grounded due to the recall.
But FlightGlobal reported in late December that airlines globally had 835 PW1000G-powered jets in storage, up from 748 in mid-2025, citing data from fleet analytics company Cirium.
Cirium does not specify why the jets are in storage, and some are likely out of service for reasons other than the recall.
Calio says P&W is also making progress introducing product updates. Production has started for the GTF Advantage, an improved PW1100G variant P&W says will be more durable and provide more thrust. That engine should enter service this year, Calio says.
Also in 2026, P&W expects to achieve certification and begin installing its “Hot Section Plus” upgrade package into current-generation PW1100Gs. That retrofit involves equipping engines with 35 new components that are otherwise unique to the GTF Advantage.
