Wizz Air planes have engine problems: flights may be delayed and canceled

Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air was expecting higher revenues in the period from April 1 to September 30, 2023, but it was in for some bad news. Moreover, the carrier will have to decommission a large number of aircraft due to problems with the Pratt & Whitney engine.

According to travel-oriented Budflyer, Wizz Air's net income in the period from April 1 to September 30 fell to 350-400 million euros from the level of 350-450 million euros. Due to the recently published financial report of the company, the shares fell by 6.3%, reports Daily News Hungary.

Meanwhile, the low-cost airline is struggling with problems with aircraft engines. Experts believe that this will significantly affect next year's revenue. Pratt & Whitney engines are at the heart of the problem. Microscopic contaminants were found inside the company's jet engines. According to aviationweek.com, this can reduce the service lifting capacity of the unit.

The fault was discovered on a Vietnam Airlines plane in March 2020 in an A321neo engine. Because of this, most ships have to be inspected. This is because contamination can lead to accidents inside the engines. However, in order to replace the damaged disks, the engine will have to be removed, disassembled, and then reassembled.

In this regard, Wizz Air is suspending several aircraft from January 15. In the case of one aircraft, the inspection may even take 60 days. The entire process will take 18 months and will lead to a reduction in the airline's capacity, as it will affect the total number of Airbus aircraft.

"The biggest challenge is how to complete the engine inspection program with the least amount of disruption," said CEO Jozsef Varadi. He added that the program will limit growth in 2024.

Varady also said that they would like to purchase new aircraft and extend the Wizz MultiPass. Thus, the airline plans to maintain its capacity.