Wed, Feb 28, 2007
Jet Will Enter Service With LAN In May
A new engine has taken
flight for the littlest Airbus. The first production A318 powered
by two Pratt & Whitney PW6000 engines completed its first
flight Monday, from the Airbus facility in Hamburg, Germany. The
airplane, which will go into service with LAN Airlines of Chile in May
2007, flew for more than four hours and performed a series of
system checks in preparation for delivery.
"The PW6000 engines performed flawlessly," Tom Pelland, PW6000
program director for Pratt & Whitney, told ANN. "This
successful inaugural flight is the first step for a smooth entry
into service with LAN Airlines and marks the production launch of
another Pratt & Whitney dependable engine."
The PW6000 is designed to provide the lowest total cost of
ownership for the 100-passenger aircraft market, and offers a
thrust range of 18,000 to 24,000 pounds. Pratt & Whitney says
the engine offers customers longer time on-wing and reliability in
the demanding, high-cycle operating environment of single-aisle
aircraft. The PW6000 also meets or exceeds all current and future
worldwide environmental regulations.
PW6000 launch customer LAN Airlines has ordered 44 engines with
the potential for up to 78 total engines if all options are
exercised. Pratt & Whitney is actively engaged in discussions
with several other customers who are currently evaluating the
PW6000-powered A318 aircraft and A318 Elite business jets.
The PW6000 is produced in partnership with MTU of Germany and
MHI of Japan. MTU produces the PW6000's high pressure compressor
and low pressure turbine, and MHI provides the engine's diffuser
module.
Pratt & Whitney has over 17,000 aircraft engines in service
with hundreds of airlines throughout the world. Additionally, Pratt
& Whitney is a leading partner in two joint venture companies
that manufacture commercial aircraft engines: International Aero
Engines, which makes the V2500 for the Airbus A320 family of
aircraft, and the Engine Alliance, whose GP7200 engine is FAR 33
certified for the new Airbus A380.
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