Wizz Air has ordered Pratt & Whitney PW1100G geared turbofans (GTFs) to power the remaining 177 Airbus A321neo aircraft for which it had not made an engine choice, despite issues with the powerplant becoming a years-long challenge for the European low-cost carrier.
Speaking after a signing ceremony with Rick Deurloo, P&W’s commercial engines president, at Paris air show on 17 June, Wizz chief executive Jozsef Varadi explained why the carrier had made the decision.
“This is a bit like a marriage – there are ups and downs,” he says of Wizz’s relationship with the manufacturer.
“Obviously we are very unhappy with supply-chain issues and groundings of aircraft but at the same time we try to be rational and look through the current issues and make an assessment of what is right for the business.”
That assessment included considerations such as “economic performance, sustainability performance, the maintenance of the engines, the contractual commitments the manufacturers are making, [and] the support package they provide when something breaks down”, he says.
“The right decision for Wizz was to stick with the GTF.”
Asked whether Wizz’s GTF challenges put it in a strong position to negotiate a new deal with P&W, Varadi describes the situation as “a double-edged sword”.
“For deal-making purposes we are in a good position, [but] for operational purposes we are not in a good position,” he says.
Expanding on that point, the Wizz chief explains that as an early adopter of the GTF, a high proportion of the airline’s fleet features that powerplant.
As a result, “you get disproportionately effected” versus other carriers, Varadi says.
“[But] we are in a strong postion because of the size and scale and leverage that gives us,” he adds.
The GTF issues meant Wizz – which exited the Covid-19 crisis with big expansion ambitions – saw flat capacity growth in the fiscal year ending 31 March 2025, with related costs also weighing on its financial performance.
The carrier expects to achieve some growth in the current fiscal year, but is still grappling with aircraft numbering in the mid-30s grounded out of a total fleet of around 230 Airbus narrowbodies.
And Varadi estimates the GTF groundings still have at least two years to run.
Wizz previously selected the GTF to power 276 Airbus A320neo, A321neo and A321XLR aircraft. The announcement at Paris brings its order total to 453 aircraft powered by GTF engines.
