Lufthansa grounds third of Airbus A220 fleet due to engine troubles with Pratt & Whitney

Deutsche Lufthansa, which is one of the largest international airlines has temporarily grounded a third of its Airbus A220 aircraft in Zurich due to issues with Pratt & Whitney engines, reported Bloomberg. This comes a week after Go First filed for bankruptcy protection as half of their Airbus fleet were grounded due to trouble with Pratt & Whitney engines.

This development sheds light on the latest signs of struggles faced by airlines due to engine defects right before the crucial summer travel season.

Lufthansa Chief Executive Officer Carsten Spohr on a call with analysts to discuss earnings said, "The idling of the narrow-body aircraft is on top of three other 'brand new' aircraft with Pratt engines that are also down."

Spohr also added that the company needs to rebuild their production facilities as there are elements missing in their supply chain.

The airline operates 30 A220s at its Swiss subsidiary which indicates that 10 of its aircraft are currently grounded. Bloomberg had reported that Lufthansa is also considering a new order of the model as the company is renewing its regional jet fleet.

Shortage of engines and spare parts has global impact

The shortage of engines and spare parts has been an issue for carriers across the globe with most of the issues centered around the latest-generation workhorse narrowbody jets.

Pratt & Whitney lagging to clear backlog for subcomponent

The supplier Pratt & Whitney, a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies Corp. have been struggling to clear the backlog of subcomponent orders which has resulted in many flights being grounded.

Go First files for bankruptcy

Go First last week filed for bankruptcy as half of their fleet is grounded. This comes at a time when there is a surge in travel demand due to summer vacations. The carrier in its official statement said that due to the failure of engines from Pratt & Whitney they have been forced to file for bankruptcy.