As Breeze Airways on Tuesday unveiled the first of 80 Airbus A220-300s on order from Airbus, FlightSafety International and Pratt & Whitney each announced major related contracts they’ve signed with the latest startup established by JetBlue and Azul founder David Neeleman.
Breeze, which started operations in May with Embraer E-Jets, expects to launch service with its first A220 during next year’s second quarter. But, before then, pilots will begin training on FlightSafety A220 and E190 full flight simulators and flight training devices under a contract that calls on the Columbus, Ohio-based training company to operate the machines and other crew training equipment at Breeze’s training academy.
In a statement, FlightSafety said it is sharpening its focus on training and equipment for the commercial air transport market. The full-flight simulators and FTDs will use Airbus’s Standard 1.0 software and benefit from, in the company’s words, “industry-leading technologies for highest fidelity and reliability.”
For Pratt & Whitney, the A220 unveiling provided a chance to promote the engine company’s contract to provide Breeze with MRO services through an EngineWise long-term agreement. Pratt & Whitney GTF engines power the A220, known as the Bombardier C Series before Airbus took control of the program in July 2018.
“We are honored that Breeze chose to continue to expand its fleet with GTF-powered aircraft,” said Rick Deurloo, chief commercial officer at Pratt & Whitney. “For decades we’ve worked with David and the airlines he’s founded, and together we’ve helped them grow into successful businesses. We’re looking forward to taking all that experience to help the Breeze team build another winning airline.”