Pratt & Whitney continues to see strong orders and a growing network of customers for its revolutionary Geared Turbofan™ (GTF) engine family. Recent wins add to the GTF order book, which now totals more than 10,000 engine orders and commitments with more than 80 customers. Several of these airlines have also signed multi-year contracts for Pratt & Whitney’s EngineWise® Comprehensive service agreements, dedicated to sharing the company’s engine expertise and fleet intelligence with customers so they can optimize engine performance and keep their operations running smoothly.
The most recent deliveries continue to add to the ever-growing commercial fleet, which now totals more than 550 GTF-powered aircraft across 40 operators since the engine entered service in 2016. This September, the first Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, the largest in the E-Jets E2 family, was delivered to Azul Brazilian Airlines, leased through AerCap.
GTF orders during the last 12 months include JetSMART’s selection of the GTF engine for its order of 85 A320neo family aircraft; E195-E2 orders from KLM Cityhopper (up to 35), exclusively powered by the GTF engine; Delta Air Lines’ additional order for a total of 95 exclusively GTF-powered A220 aircraft; A220 orders from Air France-KLM (60), SMBC Aviation Capital’s order of 20 additional GTF-powered A320neo family aircraft and Aviation Capital Group’s order of up to 20 additional GTF-powered A320neo family aircraft.
Aircraft powered by GTF engines have been delivered on six continents over the past year, including the first Airbus A220 aircraft to African operators Air Tanzania and EgyptAir; the first Airbus A321neo aircraft to Hungarian carrier Wizz Air, Vietnam Airlines and Philippines-based Cebu Pacific; the first Airbus A320neo aircraft to Chinese airline Air Macau, leased through BOC Aviation; the Airbus A320neo family aircraft to Air New Zealand; the first Airbus A320neo aircraft to Chilean operator JetSMART; the first Airbus A321neoLR aircraft to Canadian airline Air Transat, leased through AerCap; and the Airbus A220 and A320neo aircraft to U.S. operators Delta Air Lines and JetBlue.
Airline customers recently placing these orders and accepting deliveries believe in the GTF engine. "This selection marks a milestone for our airline," said Robin Hayes, chief executive officer, JetBlue. "The role Pratt & Whitney has played in the development of this aircraft – and, in fact, all the great aircraft we've considered – is a testament to the company's vision and its talented team. We look forward to the benefits the GTF will bring to our airline and to our customers."
Current in-service engine performance has more than lived up to the GTF’s early promise. Since entering the market, GTF engines have compiled more than 3.7 million engine revenue hours and demonstrated an ability to reduce fuel burn by 16 to 20 percent, saving customers a staggering 200 million gallons of fuel, totaling $375 million in savings to date. The GTF also significantly reduces regulated emissions, which has led to 1.9 million metric tonnes of carbon emissions avoided so far, and lowers the noise footprint by 75 percent. Engines in service are saving approximately 100 gallons of fuel and reducing CO2 emissions by one metric ton per flight hour.
The GTF’s performance is having a significant impact on how and where airlines fly. For example, the engine’s impressive reduction in fuel burn allows operators to open new markets, creating options for routes that didn’t exist before and making more point-to-point destinations available to the flying public.
Game-changing technologies set the GTF apart from its competition. The engine’s revolutionary architecture allows for further evolution and performance enhancements.
The company invested more than 20 years and $10B in the engine, maturing new technologies that enable its impressive results. To meet the production demands of a historic engine ramp, Pratt & Whitney has invested in its 21st century, global production facilities to deliver its products quicker and with the highest quality. Along with its MRO network partners, the company is investing millions to increase maintenance capability to support the in-service fleet.
Clearly, the investment in infrastructure is paying off. “We are proud to welcome our first GTF-powered A321neo aircraft to our growing fleet,” said Wizz Air CEO József Váradi. “We are convinced that the A321neo will be a game-changing aircraft for Wizz Air as we continue to grow and expand our market reach across and beyond Europe. This next-step technology aircraft will enable us to become a greener airline while lowering our operating costs.”
Find out more about Pratt & Whitney’s GTF engines at https://pwgtf.com/.