Turkish Airlines (THY) announced plans to ground 40 to 45 Airbus narrow-body aircraft this year and into 2025 due to mandatory inspections of Pratt & Whitney (P&W) PW1100G geared turbofan (GTF) engines.
Current Fleet Status and Expectations
As of the end of March, THY, along with AJet, had a fleet of 66 Airbus A320neo family aircraft. THY’s Chief Financial Officer Murat Şeker stated that their expectations regarding the scope of the engine issue have changed based on the latest information from the engine manufacturer.
“Currently, around 20-25 of our aircraft are grounded,” Şeker said, “We expect this number to reach 40 by the end of this year and remain at these levels for the rest of 2024 and part of 2025. It will be around 40-45 aircraft.”
Efforts to Mitigate Capacity Loss
Murat Şeker emphasized the airline’s efforts to compensate for the capacity loss. “Last year and this year, we added about 15-20 narrow-body aircraft to make up for this capacity loss – some of these contracts are still being negotiated.”
Pratt & Whitney’s Recall Decision
Last year, P&W announced a recall of thousands of GTF engines, stating that the engines contained components prone to early failure due to defects arising from a manufacturing process involving powder metal. This issue is expected to ground an average of 350 jets between 2024 and 2026.
Long-Term Fleet Renewal and Expansion Plans
THY is continuing discussions regarding the Boeing portion of its long-term major fleet renewal and expansion plan. Initially aiming to finalize orders for 400 narrow-body and 200 wide-body aircraft from Airbus and Boeing by mid-2023, THY announced a commitment for 345 Airbus jets in December, despite delays in both orders.
Ongoing Negotiations with Boeing
Murat Şeker commented, “We are maintaining close communication with Boeing regarding the order, but we have yet to finalize it… The same issues persist. This is not just a negotiation between THY and Boeing but also involves the engine manufacturers. It’s a joint effort.”
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