Summary
- Spirit Airlines has canceled nearly 100 flights resulting from obligatory inspections of 25 aircraft, resulting in disruption expected to last several days.
- The cancellations are resulting from an abundance of caution and primarily affect flights from Spirit Airlines’ Orlando International Airport base.
- The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is aware of the situation and can be sure that the inspections are accomplished before the aircraft are returned to service.
The US-based low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines has canceled dozens of its flights, primarily from its Orlando International Airport (MCO) base, to perform obligatory inspections of some aircraft. The airline states that inspections of a small section of some aircraft are obligatory. Flight disruptions are expected to last several days, affecting scheduled passengers.
Flight cancelations over obligatory inspections
On Friday, Spirit Airlines announced that it could take 25 aircraft out of service resulting from obligatory inspections. The airline canceled nearly 100 flights for what’s stated as “an abundance of caution.” The airline realizes that the cancelation will affect its network for several days. As reported by FOX Business, the airline said in an announcement,
“We’ve canceled a portion of our scheduled flights to perform a obligatory inspection of a small section of 25 of our aircraft. While this motion is being taken out of an abundance of caution, the impact to our network is anticipated to last several days as we complete the inspections and work to return to normal operations.”
Photo: Market Media | Shutterstock
Data from FlightAware suggests that 11% of Spirit Airlines’ scheduled flights, mostly out of MCO, are canceled. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is aware of the airline’s decision and is addressing the problem. In accordance with the regulatory agency’s statement to Fox News Digital,
“The FAA will be sure that the matter is addressed before the airplanes are returned to service.”
Other recent cancelation events
Earlier this week, Spirit Airlines announced that it could temporarily reduce 4 routes from MCO, losing several thousand seats to and from its base in Orlando. The recent news got here because the airline acknowledged the potential impact on its network resulting from problems with the Pratt & Whitney GTF engine.
Photo: Spriit Airlines
Spirit Airlines operates nearly 200 Airbus A320 family aircraft. The fleet includes A319s, A320s, and A321s. The airline also operates the Neo family, including A320neos and A321neos. Over 75 Airbus A320neo aircraft within the Spirit fleet are powered by the affected PW1100G engines.
FAA’s Emergency Airworthiness Directive
In August, the FAA issued an emergency Airworthiness Directive (AD) impacting aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engines. The regulatory agency determined that material cracks within the engine may lead to in-flight engine failure.
Photo: Leonard Zhukovsky / Shutterstock
The FAA also mentioned that just about 20 engines on US-registered aircraft (referring to Spirit Airlines) could be impacted. In consequence, a handful of the carrier’s A320neo’s were grounded. The agency estimated that the inspection takes about six to eight weeks, which suggests the aircraft can return to service before the top of the 12 months.
While the airline has not specified the rationale for today’s announcement of flight cancelations, it could be related to the continued Pratt & Whitney engine issues. It could possibly be speculated that one other set of affected engines are off the service for inspections. Easy Flying has contacted Spirit Airlines and is awaiting a comment.
What are your thoughts on the recent flight cancelations amid ongoing engine issues? Tell us within the comment section.