JetBlue’s GTF engines off-wing for average of 360 days amid widespread aircraft groundings

JetBlue Airways reports that it takes roughly one year on average for its Pratt & Whitney (P&W) engines to return to service once taken off-wing for inspections and repairs. Long beset by double-digit numbers of grounded A321neos powered by PW1100G geared turbofan (GTF) engines, New York-based JetBlue shared insight into how long individual engines are held out of service in a 14 February filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. “The company currently expects each removed engine to take approximately 360 days to complete a shop visit and return to a serviceable condition,” JetBlue says. While other operators of affected Airbus narrowbodies have noted that P&W’s inspection process requires engines to be off-wing for months-long periods, JetBlue’s filing reveals the magnitude of the lost flying opportunities. Company executives warned during JetBlue’s most-recent earnings call that the worst of its GTF-related groundings are yet to come. Ursula Hurley, JetBlue’s CFO, said the company anticipates “hitting peak AOG” [aircraft on ground] within the next “one to two years”. JetBlue says it averaged 11 narrowbody Airbus jets – including A321neos and A220-300s – grounded for engine inspections and repairs throughout 2024. The company expects its average number of grounded jets to rise into the “mid-to-high teens” this year, Hurley says, while the outlook for 2026 is unclear. <br/>