DUBLIN, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Issues with Pratt & Whitney

RTX engines that have grounded some Wizz Air ( WZZAF )

planes could last four or five years, the low cost carrier's

chief executive said on Monday.

"I think they are trying their best, but this is going to be

a long process. At the beginning, we felt maybe 18 months, maybe

two years. This is clear it's more like a four- to five-year

issue," Jozsef Varad told the Airline Economics conference in

Dublin.

Wizz Air ( WZZAF ) said last month that it expects 40 of its planes to

stay grounded through fiscal year 2026. The head of fellow

Eastern European carrier AirBaltic said the Pratt & Whitney

issues were hampering its growth prospects.