BRUNEI—All Nippon Airways is continuing to grapple with engine-related aircraft availability issues as it looks to increase its capacity to meet growing demand.
The Japanese carrier’s fleet has been affected by maintenance backlogs for the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines that power many of its Boeing 787s. This has caused some aircraft to be grounded, said Katsuya Goto, ANA’s EVP for alliances and international affairs, facilities and digital transformation, during a briefing at the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines annual assembly on Nov. 13.
ANA is not confirming the exact number of 787s affected but it is understood to be multiple aircraft. ANA is looking to source as many engines as it can, Goto said. The carrier has 78 787s with Trent 1000 engines, according to the Aviation Week Network Fleet Discovery database. It also has seven powered by GE Aerospace GEnx engines.
The 787 engine situation is not expected to have any effect on international capacity in ANA’s fiscal 2024, which runs through March 31, 2025. ANA is managing to minimize the impact by using spare aircraft, and by using other types on some routes, the airline said. It is yet to determine if there will be any effect on capacity in fiscal 2025.
ANA also has 12 of its Airbus narrowbodies grounded due to long-running availability issues with the aircraft’s Pratt & Whitney GTF engines. The number of grounded narrowbodies has decreased and is expected to continue to decline but will likely take another 1-2 years for the engine availability problem to be fully resolved, Goto said.
Meanwhile, ANA is continuing to take delivery of 787s and A320neo-family aircraft. There are no significant delays on these deliveries, Goto said.
The airline also has 20 737-8s and 18 777-9s on order for its passenger fleet. The latest information on the delivery timeline for these aircraft is that they will begin arriving in fiscal 2025 or later, ANA said.
ANA has previously said it is conducting a comprehensive assessment of its fleet requirements, which could lead to further narrowbody and widebody orders for replacement and growth.
Goto said such moves are still under discussion. ANA is considering what size fleet it needs for the medium- to long-term. In general, however, the carrier wants to add more capacity to cater to the growing international market.
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