Pratt & Whitney-manufactured Geared Turbofan (GTF) engines, which power Airbus A320 NEO family planes being operated by budget carriers IndiGo and GoAir have crossed two million flight hours in India, the US engine maker said on Friday. The two Indian carriers were the early adopters of these fuel-efficient engines with IndiGo inducting its first A320NEO plane in the fleet in March 2016 and GoAir in the same year, in June. There are over 180 Airbus planes with Pratt & Whitney (P&W) GTF engines in India.
"Our customers IndiGo and GoAir were early adopters of the revolutionary GTF engine, and we are happy to say that these engines have crossed two million flight hours in India," Pratt & Whitney President and Country Head for India Ashmita Sethi said in a release. While GoAir has only A320NEO planes in its fleet powered by these engines, IndiGo has A321NEO as well along with A320NEO planes.
"With more than 180 GTF-powered aircraft in India and an extraordinary engine dispatch reliability rate of 99.98 per cent, our customers are recognising the superior fuel efficiency that GTF engines deliver. "Since cost savings are especially important in the current environment, we've seen airlines prioritise operating their GTF-powered aircraft before any others," she added.
Globally, GTF engine powers more than 900 aircraft across nearly 50 airlines and three aircraft families: Airbus A320neo, Airbus A220 and Embraer E-Jets E2, Pratt & Whitney said in the release. With a 99.98 per cent dispatch reliability rate, these engines have saved more than 400 million gallons of fuel and over 3.8 million metric tonnes of carbon emissions since they entered service in 2016, the company said.
"Thanks to upgrades completed in close coordination with our customers in 2020, GTF engines for the A320neo family are now delivering industry-leading reliability, said Carroll Lane, president of Commercial Engines at Pratt & Whitney. "When you combine this with our best-in-class fuel efficiency and low carbon emissions, it's easy to see why GTF-powered fleets have seen high utilization as the industry begins to recover," he said.
It also said that since entering service in early 2016, the GTF engine family has delivered on its promised ability to reduce fuel burn and carbon emissions by up to 20 per cent, and to dramatically reduce regulated emissions and noise footprint. According to the engine maker, the fleet has achieved an exceptional level of operational performance dwith aircraft having such engines averaging more flights and more hours per day than comparable aircraft.
The GTF-powered A320neo family is currently operating at about 90 per cent of pre-pandemic utilization levels, added Lane.
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