American manufacturer Pratt & Whitney used the occasion of the airshow in Zuhai to announce expansion of services and work for MRO in China. The company announced it has inducted the first GTF engine for maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) in China. MTU Maintenance Zhuhai, a joint venture between MTU Aero Engines and China Southern Airline Company Limited, joined the Pratt & Whitney GTF MRO network in December 2020 and has become the first active GTF MRO facility in China. The shop inducted a PW1100G-JM model engine, which powers the Airbus A320neo aircraft family.
“This is a monumental achievement for the GTF MRO network. We formally welcomed MTU Maintenance Zhuhai to the network in December 2020, and now here we are in September sharing news about its first induction,” said Joe Sylvestro, vice president, Aftermarket Global Operations at Pratt & Whitney. “The GTF is a young fleet with a long runway of growth ahead of it. To have an active shop in China brings immediate benefit to our customers in region. We are eager for the induction pace to build and for our other GTF MRO network members in China to begin maintenance operations as well. All of this helps to enhance our customers’ operations.”
MTU Maintenance Zhuhai is one of several facilities in Asia supporting GTF MRO work, alongside Pratt & Whitney’s Eagle Services Asia (ESA) in Singapore and IHI in Japan. China is home to one of the largest GTF fleets, where 11 airlines will be operating more than 200 A320neo family aircraft by the end of 2021. Pratt & Whitney has a long history in China, dating back more than 90 years.
Pratt & Whitney also said its EngineWise Solutions was expanding in China and the company was investing in its in-country product support ecosystem for its Chinese customers with predictive analytics, on-wing services and other MRO facilities. “Pratt & Whitney has powered Chinese aviation for more than 90 years, and we continue to grow our presence in the region to deliver the full spectrum of service and support closer to our customers,” said Yogesh Farswani, president, Pratt & Whitney China. “We are committed to customising solutions to meet our customers’ unique and evolving business needs – in a decade and world where the pace of change and demand for innovation are accelerating. With a growing fleet of more than 3,300 engines and APUs operating in China, dependably carrying passengers and cargo while delivering environmental and economic benefits, our focus remains on ensuring our customers’ success.”
Pratt & Whitney is growing its MRO footprint in China, securing in-region maintenance support for its customers. For example, the Pratt & Whitney Shanghai Engine Centre continues to expand its capabilities, recently celebrating the overhaul of its 100th IAE V2500 engine. Last year, despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pratt & Whitney welcomed MTU Maintenance Zhuhai and Ameco Beijing to its GTF MRO network. This network showcases Pratt & Whitney’s customer centric philosophy, working with leading service providers to have a support system at the ready for customers whenever needed.
The recent launch of Pratt & Whitney’s enhanced customer portal, EngineWise Connect, demonstrates the company’s investment in digital technology, operational efficiency and the customer experience. The portal’s intuitive user interface provides digital dashboards and tools to collaborate and stay up to speed on pertinent information. With access to real-time engine health monitoring, automated alerts and notifications, streamlined technical publications and other resources, the portal will help customers optimise engine and fleet performance to keep their operations running smoothly.
Earlier this year Pratt & Whitney’s China Customer Training Centre (CCTC), which will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year, successfully passed a joint training capability assessment organised by the Flight Standards Department of Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), making it the first CAAC Part-147 approved aircraft engine type maintenance and repair training organisation in China. Pratt & Whitney continues to develop training offerings, including courses on EngineWise data analytics, engine health monitoring and engine fleet management.
Pratt & Whitney also touted its GTF engines for saving 95 million gallons of fuel in China and avoided more than 910,000 metric tonnes of carbon emissions, accumulating over 400,000 flights and over 1.73 million hours of experience. The engines power 11 airlines across the region on nearly 200 Airbus A320neo family aircraft, which have carried an estimated 57 million passengers since entry into service nearly five years ago.
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