Move FM Global News

PARIS, France: Guillaume Faury, CEO of Airbus, said that US engine maker Pratt & Whitney has been struggling to provide enough spare parts and engines to support its fleet of passenger jets.

Faury’s comments came after India’s third-largest airline, Go First, filed for bankruptcy, which it blamed on problems with the durability of Pratt & Whitney’s GTF engines on its Airbus 320neo jets.

“This being said, there are issues with in-service support of the GTF that are leading to airlines having planes with temporary issues, and planes ‘AOG’ (grounded), and this is something that we are very closely monitoring,” Faury told reporters during a briefing.

Pratt & Whitney, a unit of Raytheon Technologies and the world’s largest aerospace contractor, has not responded to requests for comment, but told investors last week that “time on wing,” or the period between maintenance visits, had improved but was “not yet at the level we and our customers expect.”

It was also continuing to develop upgrades, it added.