Aircraft, and certainly the jet engines that power them, are generally known as the most reliable means of transport in the world. You rarely see recalls, although of course there have been in recent years. Just think of the problems Boeing had with the 737 MAX and the 787 Dreamliner. They had nothing to do with the engines, though. In both models, so-called manufacturing defects in the fuselage grounded them for months.
Performance problems Pratt & Whitney engines
Seen in that light, the problems that are now affecting KLM aircraft, among others, can be called quite unique. Engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney is struggling with performance problems with their PW1000G engines. These ensure that many aircraft powered by those engines are now grounded. KLM is concerned with the Embraer E195-E2. Our national airline has fifteen of these. Seven of them are still grounded.
It is not known exactly what is going on with the Pratt & Whitney engines. The fact is that the performance problems can lead to the engines failing during the flight. That has already happened a few times. Fortunately, it has not yet led to accidents, partly because aircraft can still land without any problems even with one engine.
Dozens of devices are waiting for maintenance
The relevant Pratt & Whitney engines are also fitted to the Airbus A320neo and A220. For Airbaltic, which only flies with the A220, this means that in principle all aircraft can be affected by the problems. At the moment, eleven of the company’s 40 A220s are still waiting for maintenance. Other airlines affected by the same problems include Cyprus Air, Turkish Airlines and Indian carriers IndiGo and Go First.
For Pratt & Whitney, the problems with the PW1000G engines mean that the manufacturer has had a lot of work to do in recent months, and in the run-up to the busy summer holiday season. The good news is that the problems can be solved by manufacturer maintenance.
Photo header: KLM
