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RTX business Pratt & Whitney is expanding its engine maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) and manufacturing operations in Singapore, as well as broadening its MRO offering with the addition of the PT6C-67C helicopter engine. The company says it is already seeing the benefits of its local technology accelerator it established in September 2022.
To support the growth in the GTF (geared turbofan) engine fleet, which powers members of the Airbus A220/A320neo and Embraer E2 families, Pratt & Whitney is expanding its GTF MRO capacity in Singapore by two-thirds. To that end, the company recently opened a 48,000-sq-ft growth at its Eagle Services Asia (ESA) facilities, a joint venture between P&W and SIA Engineering. Located at two sites, ESA introduced GTF MRO capability in 2019 and has completed more than 500 engine overhauls.
ESA is one of 15 GTF MRO centers around the world, seven of which reside in the Asia-Pacific region. Other regional providers include Korean Airlines, IHI, and MHIAL in Japan, MTU Maintenance Zhuhai, Ameco in China, and China Airlines in Taiwan. The company has announced that it will add three more GTF MRO shops globally by 2025.
As well as supporting the in-service GTF fleet, Pratt & Whitney also has a manufacturing operation in Singapore that achieved full operating capacity in June 2023. Currently, the P&W NGPF Manufacturing Company produces 2,400 high-pressure turbine disks for the GTF annually, but that figure is due to grow by 45 percent come January 2026. To facilitate the expansion, the company aims to expand that workforce by 10 percent over the next two years.
Pratt & Whitney Canada also maintains an MRO facility in Singapore that provides overhaul-level services for the PW100 turboprop that powers regional airliners, as well as related services for other P&WC engines and the A320’s APS3200 auxiliary power unit. The facility has grown to become the company’s central hub in the Asia-Pacific region, including in Australia and Singapore.
A new addition to the offering is an overhaul line for the PT6C-67C turboshaft, two of which Pratt installed in the popular Leonardo AW139 medium helicopter. A test cell is also under construction, and both line and cell are due to become fully operational by next year.
Some of the innovations Pratt & Whitney introduced at the four ESA/P&W MRO facilities include the Singapore technology accelerator program created in partnership with the Economic Development Board. New technologies focus on areas such as automation, digital twins, connected factories, and advanced inspection to streamline and enhance MRO shop performance.