FlightGlobal reports that Pratt & Whitney “expects the peak number of aircraft grounded as a result of manufacturing problems with geared turbofan engines will be lower than previously anticipated as the propulsion specialist continues to work through the issue.” In September, the engine maker “expanded a previously announced requirement for ‘accelerated inspections’ of the PW1100G engines that power Airbus A320neo-family jets due to a manufacturing problem.” Caused by contamination “of the powder metal material used to make high-pressure turbine and compressor disks, the issue will see thousands of aircraft taken out of service over the next two years for checks.” But “speaking to analysts on a full-year earnings call on 23 January, Christopher Calio, chief operating officer of P&W parent RTX, said although the recovery process was in its early stages, progress is being made.”
Full Story (FlightGlobal)
Tag: Commercial Aviation
Airbus Sets Sales Record in 2023
The Wall Street Journal reports Airbus set a record for the highest number of orders in a single year, with 2,319 gross orders last year, more than doubling its orders compared to 2022 and 29.1% higher than its 1,796 record set in 2014.
Full Story (Wall Street Journal – Subscription Publication)
FAA Orders Airlines to Ground Some Boeing 737 Max 9 Jets After Midair Emergency
The New York Times reported that on Saturday, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered Alaska Airlines and United Airlines “to stop using some Boeing 737 Max 9 planes until they were inspected, less than a day after one of those planes lost a chunk of its body in midair, terrifying passengers until the plane landed safely.”
Full Story (New York Times)
Air Corsica Finds Pratt & Whitney Canada Engine Reduces MRO Costs by a Third
Aviation Week reports that maintenance costs “are reduced by almost one-third on the ATR 72-600 regional turboprop thanks to the latest iteration of its Pratt & Whitney Canada engine, the PW127XT, a senior executive at Air Corsica says.” The carrier is “the launch customer for the PW127XT-powered version of the ATR 72-600.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
N3 to Add MRO Capacity in Expansion at Arnstadt Site
Aviation Week reports that Rolls-Royce engine maintenance specialist N3 Engine Overhaul Services “is targeting the overhaul of nearly 200 engines next year and plans to expand capacity at its facility in Germany over the next two years to facilitate future ramp-ups.” The Lufthansa Technik and Rolls-Royce joint venture “plans to invest €150 million ($167.3 million) at the Arnstadt site, located in the Thuringia region in central Germany.” N3 says the project “aims to further establish it as an important European location in the global maintenance network for Rolls-Royce aircraft engines while creating hundreds of new jobs.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Southwest Airlines CEO Promises Carrier is “Absolutely Ready” for Holiday Travel
Bloomberg reports that vowing to “avoid a repeat of catastrophic holiday delays that stranded thousands of passengers last year, Southwest Airlines Co.’s leader said the company was ‘absolutely ready’ for an impending travel crush.” Company CEO Bob Jordan said the carrier has overhauled its operations since last year’s debacle, and has “added workers and improved training to new cold-weather equipment and revamped technology.”
Full Story (Bloomberg)
FAA to Set New Maintenance Requirements for Pratt & Whitney PW1100G Engines
FlightGlobal reports that the FAA “plans to place new maintenance requirements on airlines after learning that more components in Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engines may be affected by a powder-metal manufacturing problem.” The FAA “laid out new proposed requirements in a regulatory filing released on 11 December, saying some PW1100G rotors, hubs and air seals will need ‘accelerated replacement’ due to the manufacturing issue.” The proposal “would affect 430 US-registered PW1100Gs, which power Airbus A320neo-family jets.”
Full Story (FlightGlobal)
American, Delta, United Driving MRO Spending in North America
Aviation Week reported that the North American MRO market “is projected to account for 21.8% of the worldwide total from 2024-33.” This will “derive from more than 67,000 service events, according to the 2024 edition of Aviation Week Network’s Commercial Aviation Fleet & MRO Forecast.” The active North American aircraft fleet “increases from just more than 9,480 active aircraft in 2024 to more than 11,200 in 2033, an 18% increase during the period.” This growth “of the fleet and the commensurate utilization expected will drive MRO spending to increase by more than 9.3% over 10 years.” The forecast “projects that Boeing aircraft will account for the majority of MRO expenditures by type certificate holder, capturing more than 57% of the total market, followed by Airbus (29%) and Embraer (7%).”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Sunday Air Travel Could Set Record, Travel Experts Say
The Hill reported that according to travel experts, a “record number” of holiday travelers were expected to board flights on Sunday. The TSA “said it screened 2.6 million passengers Tuesday, and another 2.7 million were expected to pass through checkpoints Wednesday. The TSA expects to screen 2.9 million passengers, a record number on Sunday.” Delta Air Lines “told passengers to arrive at least two hours before their flight if they are traveling in the U.S. and three hours if they are flying overseas,” suggesting that “passengers arrive even earlier Sunday and Monday due to an expected influx of people traveling home after the holiday.”
Full Story (The Hill)
Latest Boeing EcoDemonstrator Studies SAF Use on Contrails
Aviation International News reports that while studies have determined an 85% reduction of carbon emissions from sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), the contrails produced by SAF have not been studied to determine how they differ from those generated by kerosene. To that end, The Boeing Company has partnered with United Airlines and NASA “to study the phenomenon with its latest EcoDemonstrator aircraft.” In early October, Boeing “began flying a CFM LEAP-1B-powered 737 MAX 10 destined for United Airlines on 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and conventional fuel in separate tanks, alternating the fuels during testing.” Studying multiple fuels “with the same engine allows researchers to differentiate the emissions reductions resulting from advanced engine technology from those resulting from advanced jet fuel chemistry.” Although the sample “of results from last month’s testing remains too small to draw any conclusions, researchers from Boeing, NASA, GE Aerospace, and German aerospace research center DLR expressed optimism over the observations from the first three weeks of trials.” DLR Research Team Lead Christine Voigt explained some of the science behind the effect of SAF on contrail production and said, “These sustainable aviation fuels have a lower aromatic content and these are precursors to the soot particle emissions and the soot particles are the precursors for the ice crystals and contrails. Science tells us that warming from contrails might be as large as the warming from CO2 emissions.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)