Turkish Airlines shelves regional jet plans

Turkish Airlines grounds A321s due to P&W engine recall

Turkish Airlines (TK, Istanbul Airport) expects to have up to twelve A321neo aircraft grounded by the end of the year because of issues with Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan (GTF) engines. The airline has already pulled nine aircraft from service for this reason.

"Our expectation is to ground 11 to 12 aircraft by the end of the year, but due to the uncertainties in the process there is a possibility that this number will be revised upwards," a spokesperson told Dow Jones Newswires.

In July, RTX, the publicly listed parent company of Pratt & Whitney, issued a recall order for its PW1100G engines manufactured between 2015 and 2020. While the exact number of engines requiring removal from airframes and inspection is yet to be finalised, RTX said the inspection process will take place between now and 2026 and impact airlines worldwide.

Turkish Airlines operates four A320-200Ns and fifty-four A321-200NX fitted with PW1100G engines. However, given the issue only affects engines manufactured during a specific period, the recall order will not...

Airbus's August 2023 order book changes revealed

India's IndiGo to wet lease ten A320s - report

IndiGo Airlines (6E, Delhi International) is in talks with the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to secure approval to wet lease ten A320-type aircraft over the 2023/24 winter season. According to reports, the move is designed to counter capacity constraints caused by the high number of aircraft grounded because of Pratt & Whitney engine issues.

Sources close to the talks told the HinduBusinessLine outlet that the necessary approvals were almost finalised and the planes could start arriving as soon as next month. Last year, India relaxed its rules regarding wet-leasing aircraft. India-based carriers can now apply to wet-lease aircraft for up to 12 months. Previously, the regulations restricted wet-leases to three months plus a further three-month extension. IndiGo currently wet-leases two B777-300ERs from Turkish Airlines (TK, Istanbul Airport), which it uses on the India - Türkiye country pair.

The reports of the new wet lease did not specify what type of A320 Indigo was looking to secure. However, the airline already operates twenty A320-200s and 172 A320-200N...

Air Serbia may resurrect in-house MRO, groundhandling units

Air Serbia (JU, Belgrade) may reinstate its own maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) unit as well as new catering and ground handling divisions because of tensions with third-party providers in recent years, CEO Jiří Marek has told the Polish aviation news site Rynek Lotniczy in an interview.

Relations between Air Serbia and its main MRO provider, Polish-owned JAT Tehnika, have been strained this year over bottlenecks, prompting the airline to send some of its aircraft to Istanbul for maintenance. Belgrade has reportedly been in talks with Turkish Airlines and its MRO unit, Turkish Technic, about the possibility of opening a joint MRO operation in the Serbian capital.

“We are considering various options,” he told Rynek Lotniczy. “If we want to have full control over the implementation of previously planned operations and not rely on 'leaky' outsourcing, then yes, this is one of the solutions. We want to establish an MRO hangar at the airport as part of a joint-venture agreement with a partner who specialises in aircraft repairs.”

He elaborated: “Before the...