Spirit follows JetBlue in deferring deliveries of Airbus jets with PW1100Gs

Spirit Airlines became the latest airline on 1 August to say it had deferred deliveries of new Airbus A320neo-family jets, a move coming amid competitive pressure and operational upheavals caused by Pratt & Whitney (P&W) engine problems. The US discount airline also revealed it is furloughing some 240 pilots as it works to whittle down its operation in response to what executives call a situation of over capacity. Spirit has deferred until 2030 and 2031 deliveries of A320neo-family jets previously scheduled to arrive between July 2025 and end-2026, the carrier said in disclosing its second-quarter financial results on 1 August. Cirium data shows Miramar, Florida-based Spirit had planned to acquire six jets during that period. The moves respond to what Spirit chief commercial officer Matt Klein calls “over supply of industry capacity for the existing level of leisure demand”. Spirit lost $193m in the second quarter, brining its first-half 2024 losses to $336m. News of Spirit’s deferrals come after JetBlue Airways on 30 July said it had delayed delivery of 44 A321neos from Airbus until 2030 and later. The New York-based airline now expects to receive no A321neos between 2026 and 2029. The deferrals come as both carriers’ operations remain hobbled by P&W’s recall of PW1100G geared turbofans (GTFs), which power the A320neo-family jets. Those engines need early inspections and replacement parts due to manufacturing problems involving powdered metal.<br/>