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Wizz Air is progressively returning Airbus A321neos to service and expects Pratt & Whitney to keep to its schedule of resolving all of the PW1100G engine problems the LCC has suffered by the end of 2027.
At the end of its third quarter, Wizz had 33 of its A321neos on the ground due to geared turbofan (GTF) powder metal-related issues, which was seven fewer than a year earlier.
“So we have growing confidence that this is going to get completed as anticipated before, so … by the end of calendar ‘27,” Wizz Air CEO József Váradi said June 11 on an earnings call.
Váradi also said that he would prefer Pratt to focus on resolving and mitigating the problems around its in-service fleet before turning its attention to Airbus’ ramp-up targets for the A320 family.
“Our interest is to get the existing fleet fixed before we embark on a new aircraft because that will just incur capital cost—additional capital cost to the business by grounding existing capital investment,” he said.
In 2025, Wizz Air deferred 88 Airbus narrowbody deliveries until after 2030.
Its current delivery schedule has it receiving 46 A321neos in 2026, 35 in 2027, 27 in 2028, 42 in 2029 and 35 in 2030. By the end of next year, 230 of its 271 aircraft will be Neos.
“We have our stated delivery stream with Airbus. By and large, Airbus has been delivering against that stream, and we don’t expect major issues coming out in the future either. We may have a few weeks of delays here and there, but it’s not major,” Váradi said.
Speaking to investors last year, before fuel prices spiked due to the Iran war, the CEO observed that the economics of the A321ceo and A321neo were similar, or “pretty much a wash,” after maintenance and other costs were factored in.
However, he also emphasized that this was only true for the current maturity of the engine, and that once the upgraded GTF Advantage came out there would be a clear winner. “The moment we get to Advantage, we think the equation flips structurally. There is no more debate on fuel price and who is better, which aircraft is better, Ceo or Neo—the Neo at that point will prevail.”
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