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JetBlue Airways (JBLU) is frustrated with the state of its Airbus (EADSY) jets. CEO Joanna Geraghty said Thursday that it is less than ideal to have engine problems sidelining essentially brand-new aircraft.
“They’re great planes, we want to fly them,” she said at the Skift Global Forum travel industry conference.
Last July, RTX (RTX) subsidiary Pratt & Whitney discovered a problem with the metal used to build its PW1100G-JM geared turbofan engines. Specifically, the issue was with powdered metal high-pressure turbine and compressor discs. Because the defect can cause cracks, all of those engines had to be inspected or removed from service to make sure they weren’t affected. Airbus uses the PW1100G-JM for its A320neo planes, and JetBlue uses those planes.
Issues with power units have been giving many carriers problems throughout the industry. In its most recent annual report, JetBlue said it can take as much as a year for an affected plane to make its way through a repair shop for inspection and remediation. Spirit Airlines (SAVE), JetBlue’s erstwhile corporate betrothed, will receive as much as $200 million in compensation for the resultant blows to its capacity.
“While we are working with Pratt & Whitney to secure compensation, the full impact of the removal and any potential remediation steps remains uncertain,” JetBlue said in its most recent annual report.
