Aircraft engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney said on Thursday that Air India Engineering Services Ltd (AIESL) will provide maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services in support of its geared turbofan (GTF) engines and customers in India.
AIESL will service PW1100G-JM engines at its facility in Mumbai.
"With AIESL performing maintenance on our high-tech GTF engines, we are excited to strengthen our global MRO capacity and capabilities for customers on the ground in India," said Joe Sylvestro, Vice President of after-market operations at Pratt & Whitney.
"As the demand for air travel grows in India, we look forward to furthering the growth of Indian aviation," he said in a statement.
AIESL's introduction to GTF maintenance will be a phased approach, starting with engine upgrade and module exchange capabilities as immediate support of the GTF fleet in India.
The facility has already received its first GTF engine."It is an exciting time for us as we prepare for the GTF engine," said AISEL's Chief Executive Officer H R Jagannath.
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"AIESL has been engaged in providing engine MRO services to Air India and other operators for over 50 years now. Our association with Pratt & Whitney goes back a long time as well. The GTF engine provides us with the opportunity to showcase our capabilities and establish AIESL as one of the premier engine MROs in Asia," he said.
Pratt & Whitney powers more than 700 aircraft in service today in India, including more than 150 GTF-powered A320neo family aircraft.
The GTF engine has saved Indian operators over 90 million gallons of fuel and more than 800,000 metric tonnes of carbon emissions since its entry into service.
Since entering into service in early 2016, the GTF engine has demonstrated its promised ability to reduce fuel burn by 16 per cent, to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 50 per cent compared to the regulatory standard, and to reduce the noise footprint by 75 per cent.