Efforts to increase the production of parts for the Pratt & Whitney PW1000G geared turbofan (GTF) engines, aimed at replacing defective ones, are impacting maintenance plans for older engines like the V2500, as stated by executives at MTU Aero.
By J Prakash
MTU's CFO, Peter Kameritsch, highlighted during a recent earnings call that the production of PW1000G parts is facing challenges, causing a delay in the production of V2500 parts.
Certain parts, including high-pressure turbine disks and other life-limited components, are being prioritized for replacement due to potential manufacturing defects involving powder metal from an RTX-owned supplier. This issue affects engines in both the PW1000G and IAE V2500 fleets. Parts affected by this manufacturing issue need to be inspected and replaced according to updated Pratt guidance mandated by regulators. Pratt, a majority shareholder in the IAE consortium, is also part of RTX.
The problem extends to parts manufactured between November 2015 and September 2021, impacting the newer PW1000G-powered fleet more severely. Currently, around 600 GTF-powered aircraft are grounded awaiting engine inspections, a number that seems to have stabilized. Pratt is striving to replace as many suspect GTF parts as possible during these inspections to avoid additional follow-up inspections before scheduled overhauls. However, there won't be enough full-life parts available to supply both new-production engines and those undergoing inspections until late this year at the earliest.
The increased production of PW1000G parts has resulted in reduced capacity to manufacture similar parts for other engines, including the V2500. Although the V2500 fleet isn't experiencing widespread groundings due to either PM problems or short-term materials shortages, operators are adjusting their overhaul work packages due to parts unavailability.
The increased demand for GTF inspections has overwhelmed maintenance shops, including those handling the V2500. MTU, a partner with Pratt in both GTF and V2500 programs, indicates that the surge in demand, coupled with parts availability issues, is leading to longer turnaround times. Consequently, many operators, already struggling to meet passenger demand, are reassessing their maintenance strategies.
MTU's CEO, Lars Wagner, highlighted that the shortage of spare parts is slowing down engine inductions into shops, resulting in reduced engine availability in the market. This situation forces airlines to focus on lighter maintenance tasks and defer heavy maintenance wherever possible.
Both Pratt and MTU express confidence that the parts shortages related to powder metal issues will be temporary. RTX emphasizes that ramping up production is crucial to speeding up engine processing through shops and reducing ground time for affected aircraft. According to recent earnings calls, V2500 shop visits were lower in the first quarter but are expected to reach 800 in 2024. This anticipated increase will benefit suppliers like MTU that provide parts and services for the Airbus A320ceo-family engine.
Kameritsch also notes that there's a pent-up demand for some affected non-PW1000G parts, with recovery expected in the second half of the year once powder production ramps up.
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