A year after using an average of over 30 Airbus Jet for removal of Pratt & Whitney (P&W) engines, Mexico's low-cost carrier Volaris doesn't foresee the issue of fleet availability will soon be resolved .
During the Mexico City-based company's year-end revenue call on February 24th, CEO Enrique Bertlanena said Volaris “will actively manage its schedule and ensure engine inspections will be conducted by at least 2027. The overhaul will be carefully planned.”
Volaris is one of the global aviation that has been most affected by P&W's widely destructive geared Turbofan (GTF) engine recalls, inspecting potential turbofan blade defects. The latest generations of Airbus A320neo-Family and A220 Jets, and the Embraer E190-E2s, are powered by GTF engines.
Approximately a third of these jets are on-site all over the world, with the number of aircraft sold in recent years inching.
The inspection and overhaul process takes several months. US carrier Jetblue Airways recently revealed that GTF engines that require removal have spent about a year on the wing before they return to service.
According to the Aviation Analytics Company Cirium, Volaris currently houses 34 A320neos and A321neos. Almost all of these jets may be based on GTF inspections.
The company itself hopes to continue with an average of more than 30 jets on the ground over the next few months.
Volaris has signed a compensation agreement with P&W since December 2023, covering each engine that needs to take time away from inspections and potential repairs. The deal covers most of Volaris' fixed costs, but does not cover “one” lost revenue as a result of Volaris' out-of-service aircraft, Beltranena points out.
Airbus aircraft grounding largely defined the year of Vollis' business. Volaris' year-over-year passenger capacity measured in available seat kilometers (ASKS) fell 13% for the full year in 2024, primarily as a result of grounding.
At the same time last year, Volaris was working on P&W inspections “which affect more than half of the fleet engine,” says Bertlanena.
“At that point, we had already secured 1.9 million future bookings, but we faced a 30% reduction in our productive fleet,” he says.
“The sudden loss of the engine presented us with a serious challenge: a way to rebuild the company, increase profitability, protect our customers, and maintain our commitment to scheduling integrity,” Beltranena said. says he.
Volaris has since focused on “refining the capacity reduction gap” by leasing additional aircraft, expanding aircraft leases, purchasing spare engines, and encouraging fleet use. . Also, the disc counters are not looking to other operators to provide additional lifts.
“We have made a clear and intentional decision to operate our schedules only with pilots and fleets and ensure the highest safety standards,” Bertranena says. “Unlike others, we were not dependent on foreign crews or aircraft that were not maintaining Volaris.
During engine inspections, Volaris was profitable in all four quarters last year, reporting full-year profit of $126 million. This is compared to a profit of $8 million from the previous year.
In the fourth quarter, Volaris fell 5% year-on-year. Revenue also fell 7% to $835 million, down from the previous year.
Volaris is forecasting capacity growth of 13% in 2024, with a bright prospect for the next year.
