Airbus Limits Cold-Weather Takeoffs for Certain Aircraft

Restrictions apply to jets with Pratt & Whitney engines.

Zach Vasile

Saturday, November 29, 2025 at 07:00 AM ET

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Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Airbus A220 seen in 2018 [Credit: Steve Lynes/Wikimedia Commons]

Key Takeaways:

Airbus has imposed new restrictions on certain aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney engines, limiting takeoffs in extreme cold weather conditions.
These limitations specifically apply to severe icing conditions, freezing fog, and low visibility (under 150 meters).
The affected engines are found in Airbus A320neo-family and A220-family aircraft.
Pratt & Whitney is working on a solution, but the specific problem prompting these cold weather restrictions has not been publicly disclosed.

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Airbus is reportedly restricting some aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney engines from operating in extreme cold.

According to Reuters, the European aerospace manufacturer has changed its procedures and now limits takeoffs using Pratt-made engines in severe icing conditions, freezing fog, and visibility of less than 150 meters, or about 490 feet.