Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on June 17, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleWizz Air picks Pratt & Whitney for 177 Airbus A321neo engines, despite ongoing issues with GTF engines. The agreement includes a support package.
(Reuters) -European low-cost carrier Wizz Air said on Tuesday it has selected RTX's Pratt & Whitney as the engine supplier for 177 of its Airbus A321neo narrowbody jets on order.
The announcement underscores Wizz Air's commitment to its existing engine partner even as issues with Pratt & Whitney's GTF engines have forced the airline and several others to ground multiple aircraft. It brings Wizz's total order for GTF-powered aircraft to 453.
The low-cost carrier, which operates an all-Airbus fleet, had to pick between its current supplier Pratt & Whitney and competitor CFM, a joint venture between GE Aerospace and France's Safran SAF.PA>.
A defect in the powder metal used to make high-pressure turbines and compressor discs has impacted certain Pratt & Whitney GTF engines, disrupting airlines globally, especially those flying Airbus A320neo-family jets.
Reuters reported on Monday that Wizz's engine order would form part of a settlement with Pratt & Whitney over groundings caused by repair times.
"Together with today's agreement, the airline has also secured a special support package to enhance operational stability during this period and mitigate the financial and operational impact of grounded aircraft," the engine maker said.
Wizz CEO Jozsef Varadi had said at the Airline Economics conference in Dublin in January that issues with the engines of the airline's grounded aircraft could last four or five years.
The carrier had 37 aircraft grounded as of May 9. It expects 34 aircraft to remain grounded by the end of the first half of its 2026 financial year.
Pratt & Whitney will also provide Wizz with engine maintenance through a long-term service agreement, the companies said on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Shivansh Tiwary and DhanushVignesh Babu in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)
Wizz Air has selected Pratt & Whitney as the engine supplier for 177 of its Airbus A321neo jets.
A defect in the powder metal used for high-pressure turbines and compressor discs has impacted certain Pratt & Whitney GTF engines, causing disruptions for airlines globally.
Wizz Air has secured a special support package from Pratt & Whitney to enhance operational stability and mitigate the financial and operational impact of grounded aircraft.
As of May 9, Wizz Air had 37 aircraft grounded, and it expects 34 to remain grounded by the end of the first half of its 2026 financial year.
Pratt & Whitney will provide Wizz Air with engine maintenance through a long-term service agreement.
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