Increased production of cast and forged parts is also helping P&W address the costly PW1000G recall.
The number of jets grounded due to problems with Pratt & Whitney (P&W) PW1100G turbofans declined 15% in the first quarter, thanks largely to increased maintenance capacity and ramped production of critical engine components.
That is according to P&W parent RTX, which declines to specify the number of “aircraft on ground” (AOG) but says its planned recovery from a costly and disruptive recall of its geared turbofans (GTFs) is progressing as expected.
That recall is a primary reason so many GTF-powered jets are sitting idle.
“The fleet management plan, including our financial and technical outlook, remains on track,” RTX chief executive Chris Calio said on 21 April during RTX’s first-quarter earnings call.
He was speaking specifically about P&W’s recall-recovery effort.
“PW1100G AOGs were down around 15% compared to the end of last year. We expect this downward trend to continue,” Calio adds. “As we’ve said before, the key enabler of this reduction is MRO output, which was up 23% year-over-year” for PW1100Gs.
Those engines power Airbus A320neo-family jets. Other GTF variants include the A220’s PW1500Gs, and PW1900Gs, which power Embraer E190-E2s and E195-E2s.
All those models have been subject to the recall but PW1100Gs have been most affected.
The manufacturer recalled the turbofans due to production errors involving the use of powder metal that left the engines possibly containing defective metallic parts. The issue has left hundreds of commercial aircraft grounded at any given time, awaiting inspections and part replacements.
RTX has declined to put a number on the grounded fleet.
But fleet-data provider Cirium shows that some 770 GTF-powered jets were “in storage” at the end of 2025. Cirium does not specify why the aircraft are stored; analysts have said most are probably grounded due to engine issues, though some are surely down for other reasons.
In addition to boosting maintenance availability, P&W has also ramped production of engine components that have been in short supply. Availability of structural engine castings jumped 10% year on year, while supply of forged components increased 18%, Calio says.
P&W has been faced with the tricky equation of splitting a limited number of parts between both maintenance shops, which need the components to get recalled engines back in service, and its new-engine production lines, which supply customers clamouring for engines, like Airbus.
P&W delivered 235 large commercial engines — including GTFs — in the first quarter, down from 250 in the same period of 2025.
P&W’s first-quarter sales jumped 11% year on year to $8.2 billion, while its operating profit surged 22% to $710 million.
“While the environment is dynamic right now, the underlying demand for our… products and aftermarket services remains durable,” Calio says.
RTX expects P&W’s 2026 sales will increase in the mid-single-digit percentage range year on year and that it will turn a $225-325 million 2026 operating profit.
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