Monterrey, Nuevo León — Viva Aerobus has adjusted its flight schedule after Pratt & Whitney ordered a fresh round of preventive inspections on PW1100G engines, leaving the Mexican ultra-low-cost carrier with fewer serviceable aircraft.
The airline said on Friday that the new inspection requirement, combined with ongoing supply chain disruptions, will reduce availability by 10 aircraft beyond the shortfall it had already budgeted for in the coming months. No routes will be cancelled; instead, Viva will trim frequencies on some services.
The carrier said it will not turn to wet-leasing aircraft from other operators to cover the gap. It has already notified the Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) and the country’s airports of the changes, and urged passengers to check the status of their flights on its website or app before heading to the airport.
Viva said it is working with Pratt & Whitney to “maximize aircraft availability and return engines to service as soon as possible.”
Ten more aircraft on the ground before the December peak
The announcement came days after Viva reported third-quarter results, in which it disclosed that an average of 31.5 Airbus A320neo-family jets sat idle during the period because of engine reliability problems. At the end of September the fleet numbered 109 aircraft: 31 A320ceo, 29 A320neo, 12 A321ceo and 37 A321neo. With 66 of those belonging to the neo family, close to half of that portion of the fleet was out of action.
Capacity fell 4.4% year on year between July and September. The reductions were modest in July and August — in the middle of the high season — and deeper in September, a cut the airline attributed largely to unscheduled Pratt & Whitney engine inspections. Even so, revenue rose 6.1% to USD 696 million and the load factor reached 89.2%. The quarter closed with a net loss of USD 27 million.
A problem dating back to 2023
The disruption traces back to July 2023, when RTX, Pratt & Whitney’s parent company, disclosed that metal powder used to manufacture high-pressure turbine disks was contaminated. That triggered an accelerated inspection program covering roughly 3,000 engines worldwide. Volaris, the other major Mexican operator of A320neo aircraft fitted with GTF engines, also has part of its fleet grounded.
Pratt & Whitney says it continues to invest in expanding its maintenance, repair and overhaul capacity and in improving engine durability. Its GTF Advantage version entered service in September on an Airbus A321XLR operated by United Airlines.
On the earnings call, Viva CEO Juan Carlos Zuazua said the airline would take a cautious stance toward the end of the year. “We will continue aligning capacity with engine availability and demand,” he said.
Friday’s statement indicates that engine availability has shrunk again just before December, one of the busiest travel periods of the year in Mexico.
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