In an ongoing crisis that began almost two years ago at the tail end of 2023, ITA Airways has watched its fleet slowly waste away due to increasingly crippling engine faults. The recall of Pratt & Whitney GTF turbofans due to production defects has devastated its fleet.

The Italy-based airline now has 22 jetliners grounded, which amounts to 28% of its total aircraft inventory, according to Corriere Della Sera. The outlet reports that ITA estimates damages to exceed €150 million over the next five years, or €82,000 per day.

A Global Crisis

The recall of engines has not been limited to ITA Airways. The Pratt & Whitney GTFPW1000G is found in a number of aircraft models around the world as one of the most popular new, fuel-efficient turbofans on the market. That popularity has proven to be a vulnerability, as many carriers have been forced to ground many of their newer jets, which were expected to be in service and producing revenue.

ITA has been one of the hardest hit airlines in the small-to-medium category. The carrier has a total of 101 airliners, with 79 being narrowbody planes, according to Planespotters.net data. The 22 grounded aircraft are a mix of Airbus A220, A320neo, and A321neo jets. From the grand total of four A321neo stretched single-aisles in ITA’s fleet, three are currently parked.

Joerg Eberhart, CEO of ITA Airways, was interviewed by Airways just last month and gave these remarks on the impact that the P&W powerplant recall has had on the airline:

“We have A220 pilots flying 20 hours a month. You can’t grow like that. Airlines control only a third of their cost base. Everyone else—airports, lessors, manufacturers—sets prices we must absorb.”

What’s Up With Pratt’

The contaminated powdered metal in the P&W engines was found to be used in components manufactured for the high-pressure turbine (HPT) and high-pressure compressor (HPC) discs from 2015 to 2021. This manufacturing issue means that microscopic contaminants can lead to premature cracking in the internal turbine components.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) have mandated inspections of potentially affected GTF turbofans. The process does not follow a strict recall format but begins with a mandatory inspection that dictates removal for off-wing processing. So far, the inspection times have been inconsistent, with some lasting 60 days or the better part of a year.

Pratt & Whitney has done what it can to mitigate the impact on airlines, however, the sensitivity of the defect and high risk for catastrophic failure demand the utmost precaution. The manufacturer has ramped up the expansion of repair and maintenance services, as well as provided Financial relief to carriers impacted by the recall.

The unprecedented nature and scale of recall have put a significant strain on the historic engine maker. In addition to direct financial compensation, the company has also negotiated credits towards parts and services, as well as providing spare engines as much as possible to reduce the impact on customers. The estimated cost that will be incurred by P&W and its partners is $6 billion or more.

The Path Forward

The devastating impact on ITA Airways operations is expected to continue into 2026 at a minimum. The beginning of the fleet drawdown began before the peak summer season, which severely cut into the airline’s bottom line. Having so much of its fleet, especially its newest and best aircraft, be unavailable for travel surge periods was a major blow to ITA’s profit margins.

The severity of the situation for ITA has led the CEO to state that it is preparing a lawsuit against the engine maker as well as its parent company, RTX. The airline is seeking greater financial compensation for its losses than what P&W has offered. The situation has steadily grown worse for ITA, with the last six months offering no light at the end of the tunnel.