Wizz Air crisis: Dozens of aircraft grounded – is there an end in sight?
For more than two and a half years, Wizz Air has been struggling with persistent malfunctions and maintenance issues affecting Pratt & Whitney engines owned by RTX, which have grounded dozens of the airline’s Airbus aircraft. Although there have been signs of improvement in recent months, Wizz Air’s management emphasises that the solution is not in their hands. As a result, they cannot guarantee with certainty that the entire fleet will return to service by the end of 2027.
Gradual improvement, cautious optimism
At the ISTAT aviation conference held in Prague, Wizz Air’s Chief Financial Officer, Ian Malin, revealed that the number of grounded aircraft has dropped from nearly sixty to thirty-eight, Reuters reported. In the first half of the year, forty-one planes had to be taken out of service for extended inspections and engine overhauls, significantly impacting the airline’s capacity and financial performance.
“The plan right now is to get the entire fleet unparked by the end of calendar year 2027. That is the target that we’re working towards,” Malin said, adding that the timing of the process still depends entirely on the engine manufacturer’s decisions.
Váradi: “We don’t fully control our destiny here”
Following the conference, Wizz Air CEO József Váradi told journalists in Gdańsk that the airline was in a vulnerable position. “We don’t fully control our destiny here. We are at the mercy of the manufacturer,” he stated.
In September, Váradi told Bloomberg that he sees a good chance for significant improvement by mid-2027, with the entire fleet potentially back in operation by year’s end. Nevertheless, he repeatedly stressed that there is “no absolute guarantee” that this timeline can be maintained.
Serious competitive and financial pressure
The engine problems have left Wizz Air at a disadvantage compared to rival European airlines that can react more swiftly to changes in demand. Capacity reductions and cancelled flights have forced Wizz Air to issue two profit warnings in recent years. Revenues have been hit not only by grounded aircraft but also by rising maintenance costs.
Ian Malin described the situation as particularly frustrating: “We’ve been dealing with it for now two-and-a-half years. Pratt is actually showing some availability of engines, but the overall turnaround time is not improving. Pratt has said that that’s coming down. I haven’t seen it yet”.
Pratt & Whitney says the situation is stabilising
Chris Calio, CEO of RTX, confirmed in September that the number of aircraft grounded due to engine malfunctions has stabilised and is expected to decline further soon. However, the company warned that “clearly we have more work to do” and that this year’s maintenance and repair costs will be 30% higher than last year.
The problem is not unique to Wizz Air: the entire global aviation sector is struggling with supply chain disruptions and production capacity limits affecting major engine manufacturers, including Pratt & Whitney, owned by RTX, and CFM International.
Hope for gradual recovery
Wizz Air’s management remains cautiously optimistic. If the manufacturer delivers on its promises, aircraft could gradually return to service, easing financial pressure and restoring competitiveness. The goal is clear: to be back at full capacity by the end of 2027. But for now, Wizz Air can only hope the engine manufacturer’s timetable becomes reality.