In the country, Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific operate the Airbus A321neo and A320neo, which have faced some issues. Philippine Airlines operates only the A321neo, while Cebu Pacific operates both the A320neo and A321neo. These new planes were initially purchased to help both airlines cut fuel costs and operate more efficiently. However, they are now proving to be more expensive to operate due to issues with the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G Geared Turbofan engine that powers them. You might wonder why Philippine carriers Cebu Pacific and PAL opted for the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G GTF engine instead of the more traditional CFM LEAP 1A engine, which is another option for the A321neo. The simple answer is the lower fuel consumption offered by the PW1100G engine.
However, the GTF is essentially a new technology featured in the PW1100G engine, compared to the more traditional high-bypass CFM LEAP 1A turbofan engine. Additionally, airlines in the Philippines have been operating A320ceos with CFM56 engines, which are proven to be both reliable and fuel-efficient. Except for PAL’s A321ceos, which use IAE V2500 engines, the majority of A320ceos, including Cebu Pacific’s A321ceo, use CFM56 engines. So, why did airlines in the country opt for the Pratt & Whitney engine over the CFM engine?
Fuel Efficiency and Operational Costs
According to Airinsight.com, when it comes to fuel consumption, the PW1100G GTF engine has a slight advantage over the LEAP engine. However, when you take into account the overall air operational costs, the LEAP engine comes out ahead. This is based on data provided by Frontier Airlines using an A320neo.
When you look at the A321neo, the GTF engine has the advantage in terms of engine repairs per air hour and also for direct maintenance per air hour. In the United States, the performance numbers for the A321neo are primarily influenced by Hawaiian Airlines, which uses the aircraft for flights over 2000 miles. Both the LEAP and GTF engines on the A321neo deliver competitive numbers in terms of fuel consumption. However, when it comes to the overall total air operations costs per hour, the GTF engine has the advantage.
However, it looks like the tables have turned.
The Pratt & Whitney Metal Contamination
Pratt and Whitney found metal contamination in multiple parts of their GTF engines. These specific parts are more likely prone to corrosion, which can lead to cracks in the turbofan. Because of this issue, Pratt and Whitney started a widespread recall of the engines.
Airlines are also affected by this recall. More than 1,000 GTF engines are subject to inspection. Initially, 200 engines will be inspected in the coming weeks, followed by another 1,000 over the next year. Airlines that predominantly use these engines, such as Airbus, are revising their operational strategies to accommodate these changes.
The recall isn’t only causing problems for Pratt and Whitney; it’s also affecting other suppliers. Take Japan’s IHI, for example, which owns a 15% stake in the GTF engine program. They’ve already sent out alerts about possible hits to their financial results.
Cebu Pacific and PAL are also dealing with the fallout, facing both flight cancellations and delays due to the NEOs’ technical issues. So, the costs from these disruptions are starting to offset the efficiency gains from the new GTF engines.
As for the possibility of airlines switching to the CFM LEAP 1A engine because of the problems with the PW GTF engines, that remains to be seen.
First love never dies. I fell in love with airplanes and aviation when I was a kid. My dream was to become a pilot, but destiny led me to another path: to be an aviation digital media content creator and a small business owner. My passion for aviation inspires me to bring you quality content through my website and social accounts. Aviation is indeed in my blood and blog!
