**SWISS has started cannibalizing two of its nine Airbus A220-100s**, dismantling them to provide engines and spare parts for its A220-300 fleet. The decision comes as the airline grapples with a persistent crisis affecting Pratt & Whitney GTF engines, which has grounded a significant portion of its single-aisle aircraft. The two aircraft involved, registered HB-JBD and HB-JBC, were delivered in 2016 when the program was still known as the Bombardier CSeries. They have been parked at Toulouse-Francazal since January and will never fly again. **The move is part of a broader strategy to maintain network capacity** while managing prolonged engine unavailability. SWISS had already announced it would temporarily ground all nine A220-100s for at least 18 months, using them as a reservoir of engines to guarantee the availability of its 21-strong A220-300 fleet, which is configured with 145 seats. The airline has not yet decided the long-term fate of the A220-100s but is focusing its technical and financial resources on the larger variant, which offers better unit costs and operational stability. **At the heart of this crisis are the Pratt & Whitney PW1500G engines** that power the A220, as well as the PW1100G engines on SWISS's A320neo fleet. These engines suffer from premature wear of certain parts and corrosion due to production defects, leading to more frequent and longer shop visits than expected, and a global shortage of spare engines. SWISS CFO Dennis Weber noted in autumn 2025 that this is not a safety issue but a constant management challenge. The airline now reports that four of its A320neos are also grounded due to unavailable GTF engines, illustrating the systemic nature of the problem across its short- and medium-haul network. **From an industrial perspective, SWISS clearly favors the A220-300**, whose higher capacity allows it to dilute fixed costs and improve per-seat profitability in a context of limited engine resources. By reallocating PW1500G engines from the A220-100s to the -300s, the airline aims to keep as many aircraft as possible in service while reducing the need for new or exchange engines, whose supply remains tight. The remaining seven A220-100s will be progressively withdrawn from service and stored for at least 18 months, with three already parked at Toulouse-Francazal. This timeline suggests that normalization of Pratt & Whitney's maintenance capacity will take several more years, prompting airlines to consider structural solutions rather than temporary adjustments. **For ATPL and ATC students, this case is a real-world lesson** in how engine reliability issues cascade through an airline's operations, affecting fleet planning, maintenance scheduling, and network stability. Understanding the technical and economic trade-offs between aircraft variants (like the A220-100 vs. -300) and the impact of powerplant choices on dispatch reliability is crucial for future pilots and controllers who will manage such disruptions in their careers.