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Air Tanzania flags A220 Pratt & Whitney engine problems

Air Tanzania (TC, Dar es Salaam) will temporarily cancel flights or reduce frequencies to address technical problems with the Pratt & Whitney engines on its A220-300s, the flag carrier has announced. It did not clarify which flights and destinations would be affected.

"Due to the worldwide technical challenges of the PW1524G-3 engine used in the Airbus A220-300 aircraft and considering safety requirements, we have been following professional instructions to provide quality and safety service. And sometimes, we take the aircraft out of circulation to meet the demands of the manufacturers of these engines. These measures have caused delays in our flights while this challenge is being resolved," the airline said in a statement on social media.

"To ensure our flights operate according to schedule, we will reduce and cancel some of our flights depending on the number of available flights. This temporary decision gives the engine manufacturers time to address the existing problems."

On October 14, 2022, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a proposal to adopt a new airworthiness directive...

Editorial Comment: Updated with comment from Pratt & Whitney. - 15.11.2022 - 13:07 UTC

Lufthansa looks to ramp up short-haul fleet

Lufthansa (LH, Frankfurt Int'l) lacks small narrowbody capacity and will "definitely have to buy" aircraft in that segment, Lufthansa Group Chief Executive Carsten Spohr told staff during a meeting.

As reported by Aviation Week, Spohr admitted that the German carrier had more competition than in the past on some of its key feeder routes as low-cost carriers and other airlines have expanded their short- and long-haul networks. As a result, Lufthansa now needs to look for new markets to feed its hubs which requires a larger fleet of small narrowbody aircraft.

Spohr did not provide any further details concerning potential types, the number of aircraft, a timeline for the order and deliveries, and whether Lufthansa would operate them itself or place them with another group AOC.

The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows that the German flag carrier's narrowbody fleet currently comprises twenty-three A319-100s (which are 20.2 years old on average), fifty-seven A320-200s, thirty A320-200Ns, twenty A321-100s, forty-three A321-200s, and fifteen A321-200NX. The smallest type Lufthansa has...