Spirit Airlines’ 2024 capacity hit hard by GTF issues

Spirit Airlines expects full-year capacity growth for 2024 to be flat to up to mid-single digits compared to 2023. It blames a “dramatic decrease in the company’s near-term growth projections” fully on repairs of the Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan-powered Airbus A320neo family fleet.

In the Q3 earnings release (no call was scheduled), Spirit says that the powder metal contamination issue of the P&W engines has deeper consequences than previously thought. “Pratt & Whitney recently notified the Company that all the geared turbofan (GTF) neo engines in Spirit’s fleet, including the engines slotted for future aircraft deliveries, for a yet undetermined period, are in the potential pool of engines subject to the inspection and possible replacement, of the powdered metal high-pressure turbine and compressor discs.