Air Austral plans to get rid of A220 fleet due to engine reliability issues 

Air Austral, an airline based in the island of La Réunion in the Indian Ocean, plans to replace its Airbus A220 fleet, financial newspaper La Tribune reports. 

The carrier has reportedly taken this decision in light of continued reliability issues with the Pratt & Whitney GTF engines that have plagued at least two of its three A220s. 

Air Austral became the first A220 operator in the Indian Ocean basin, with Airbus delivering the first unit of the type in July 2021.  

The carrier used its A220s to operate a short and medium haul network linking Roland Garros international Airport (RUN), in the French overseas department of La Réunion, to destinations in Madagascar, Mauritius and South Africa. Air Austral also operates five widebody aircraft (three Boeing 777-300ER and two Boeing 787-8) on long-haul routes to mainland France and Asia. 

According to data from ch-aviation, as of September 25, 2025, two of the three aircraft of this type in Air Austral’s fleet are inactive. One of these aircraft, with registration F-OMER, is listed as stored, while F-OTER is shown as undergoing maintenance. 

The global GTF engine problem 

Technical issues related to GTF engines have been a constant source of trouble for several A220 operators, which have seen operations seriously disrupted.  

airBaltic, the largest single-type A220 operator, has notoriously been affected. The Riga-based carrier was forced to cancel 4,670 flights in the 2025 summer season due to engine reliability issues. This is believed to have been one of the factors that has impacted on the airline’s performance the most, ultimately leading to the departure of the previous CEO Martin Gauss.  

Egyptair also gave up on the A220, selling its entire 12-aircraft fleet to leasing firm Azorra in early 2024. SWISS is another airline said to be considering a replacement for this aircraft type after several of its A220s were grounded for prolonged periods of time due to persistent GTF engine issues. 

No details are known about Air Austral’s plan to dispose of its A220 fleet, although the airline is said to be exploring the possibility of aircraft from the A320neo family or Boeing 737 MAXs as replacements. 

AeroTime has reached out to Air Austral for comment. 

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