Airlines brace for hit from Pratt & Whitney's new engine problem

Airline executives are fuming about the prospect of grounding planes and trimming flight capacity amid a busy summer travel season after fresh problems arose with some of RTX's Pratt & Whitney engines. Pratt & Whitney's latest snag, revealed on Tuesday, will impact at least 1,200 of its Geared Turbofan (GTF) engines that power Airbus' popular A320neo jets and will need up to 60 days to inspect and fix after microscopic contaminants were found in a metal used in part of the engine core. While few airlines commented publicly about the engine contamination issue, multiple senior airline executives privately said they were shocked, and one who asked not to be identified called it a "nasty surprise." Carriers are already grappling with shortages of pilots, air traffic controllers and new planes, making it harder to add more flights. Some are leaning on bigger planes that can accommodate more passengers to get around operational challenges. "On the face of it, this came at a really awkward time," said Addison Schonland, partner at consulting firm AirInsight. RTX said it was looking to minimize the impact and support its customers, but airlines in the northern hemisphere are trying to optimize resources for the summer travel season, typically the industry's most profitable period. Major customers that took delivery of affected A320neo jets include Spirit Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Hawaiian Airlines and Wizz Air, according to aviation data provider Cirium.<br/>