(Reuters) – Air New Zealand said on Tuesday that Pratt & Whitney maintenance of its Geared Turbofan jet engine fleet will have a significant impact on the airline’s schedule from January 2024.
The warning comes after Pratt & Whitney parent RTX flagged a spate of durability problems in 600 to 700 Pratt & Whitney’s Geared Turbofan engines and said they will have to be removed for quality checks.
In July, RTX said a rare powder metal defect could lead to the cracking of some engine components and called for accelerated inspections affecting 200 engines by mid-September.
The national carrier said the issue will reduce engine availability and it will need to make adjustments to its schedule in coming months.
Pratt & Whitney has indicated that the revised maintenance plan will be completed within the next two months, it added.
The inspection, however, does not present any safety issue the airline added.
(Reporting by Navya Mittal in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
