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Lufthansa Group subsidiary Swiss International Air Lines (Swiss) has begun grounding its fleet of nine Airbus A220-100s for at least 18 months as issues with their Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan (GTF) engines persist.
“From our nine Airbus A220-100s, two are currently in storage. Specifically, these are HB-JBD and HB-JBC,” a Swiss spokesperson told Aviation Week on Jan. 22.
The two aircraft are now temporarily parked at Toulouse-Francazal Airport (QYF), and Swiss will transfer the remaining A220-100s to Toulouse in stages over the coming months for temporary storage. “We are continuously adjusting the exact schedule to the current engine and operational situation,” he says.
“The goal of this measure remains to use the freed-up engines for the reliable operation of the larger A220-300 fleet,” the spokesperson added. Swiss operates 21 A220-300s beside its nine A220-100s.
“This measure is scheduled for approximately 18 months,” the spokesperson says.
The A220-100s’ PW1500G engines will enable Swiss to reactivate the larger A220-300s and get them back into operation.
According to data from CAPA, besides the two A220-100s, two A220-300s are grounded as well.
As the A220-300s are fitted with 145 seats versus the 125 seats in the A220-100s, operating the larger type creates a better cost structure.
“We expect that engine-related AOGs [aircraft on ground] across the global A220 fleet will be cleared by the end of this year,” a Pratt & Whitney spokesperson told Aviation Week on Jan. 23.
Asked about first results and whether the situation with the larger A220-300 in terms of engine-related groundings has improved, the Swiss spokesperson says a longer-term perspective is necessary. “The predictability of engine availability is crucial; our measure is already showing positive effects,” the spokesperson says.
Like many other airlines, Swiss has not been immune to Pratt & Whitney GTF engine issues. The airline also operates a fleet of 18 PW1100G-powered A320neo-family aircraft. “A positive trend is already emerging with respect to engine availability on our A32Xneo fleet,” the spokesperson says, adding that numerous teams are working to ensure that Swiss can continue to expand this trend.
According to CAPA, three of Swiss’ A320neo family aircraft are currently grounded.
Swiss was the launch customer and first operator of the PW1524G-powered A220-100. The first commercial flight of the A220-100 for Swiss took place July 15, 2016, when the aircraft was still known as the Bombardier CS100, prior to Airbus buying the program.
Meanwhile, Swiss expects delivery of its second A350-900 in the first week of February. In total, Swiss will receive 10 A350-900s.
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