Wizz Air removes engines from parked A321XLRs and shifts to short-haul
Wizz Air has removed engines from three parked Airbus A321XLR aircraft and is reassigning them to standard A321neos, reflecting a retreat from its long-haul expansion plans.
Wizz Air has removed Pratt & Whitney engines from three Airbus A321XLR aircraft parked at Bydgoszcz in Poland, according to Bloomberg. The engines will be fitted to standard A321neo jets.
Two further A321XLRs are at Katowice airport. They were withdrawn from London Gatwick but are expected to return to short-haul service soon, the airline said. One more XLR is in Milan after ground damage and is still listed as active. Three XLRs are flying European short-haul routes.
The airline has nine A321XLRs in its fleet, with two more on order. It had originally planned to operate 47 of the type, including expansion from Abu Dhabi to India and Pakistan. After the failure of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi due to engine problems, geopolitical issues and regulatory hurdles, the airline converted orders for 36 A321XLRs to standard A321neos.
Wizz Air initially deployed its existing XLRs from London Gatwick on longer flights, including around seven-hour routes to Jeddah and Medina. It has now withdrawn from those operations.
Sources
- aerotelegraph.comWizz Air beraubt Airbus A321 XLR ihrer Triebwerke