Spirit Defers Delivery of New Airbus A320neo Powered by Pratt and Whitney Engines

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FLORIDA- Spirit Airlines (NK) defers Airbus A320neo-family jet deliveries amid competitive pressures and Pratt & Whitney engine issues. The US discount carrier pushes back deliveries scheduled for July 2025 to end 2026 to 2030 and 2031.

This decision, announced with Spirit’s second-quarter financial results on August 1, affects six aircraft according to Cirium data.

Spirit Defers Airbus Delivery

The airline simultaneously announces the furlough of approximately 240 pilots. This workforce reduction aligns with Spirit’s strategy to streamline operations in response to perceived market overcapacity.

Spirit Airlines reports a $193 million loss in the second quarter of 2024, with first-half losses totaling $336 million. The airline attributes these financial challenges to an oversupply of industry capacity relative to leisure demand, according to Chief Commercial Officer Matt Klein.

Spirit’s decision to defer A320neo-family jet deliveries follows JetBlue Airways (B6)’ similar move. JetBlue delayed the delivery of 44 A321neos until 2030 and later, created a gap in deliveries from 2026 to 2029.

Both airlines face operational disruptions due to Pratt & Whitney’s recall of PW1100G geared turbofan engines. These engines, powering A320neo-family aircraft, require early inspections and part replacements due to manufacturing issues involving powdered metal.

Spirit anticipates 20 of its jets will be grounded through year-end, representing about 20% of its A320neo-family fleet and 10% of its total fleet. The airline projects this impact to worsen in 2025, with 25 grounded aircraft in early 2025, increasing to 67 by year-end.

The maintenance work on these engines is taking over 400 days per engine, hampered by part shortages and insufficient maintenance-shop capacity. This extended downtime significantly impacts Spirit’s operational capacity and flexibility.

Issues with 1000s of Engines

Pratt & Whitney’s engine recalls affect over 1,000 PW1000G-family engines, grounding an average of 350 A320neo-family jets between 2024 and 2026. RTX CEO Chris Calio stated on July 25 that P&W has been shipping only engines with non-defective, full-life parts to Airbus since late last year.

Spirit Airlines acknowledges P&W’s progress in delivering new, non-defective PW1100Gs but remains uncertain about potential early maintenance needs for these engines. This uncertainty reflects ongoing concerns about engine reliability beyond the known powder-metal issue.

JetBlue expects 11 A321neos to be out of service this year due to PW1100G problems. CFO Ursula Hurley revealed that most of these maintenance events are unrelated to the powder-metal issue, citing unscheduled engine maintenance causing premature removals, some after just one year of operation.

What are your thoughts on Pratt and Whitney engine issues? Let us know in the comments

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