Celebrating Fifth Year Of Operation

Shanghai Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Engine Maintenance Company Limited recently celebrated its five-year anniversary with the accomplishment of two major milestones: delivery of the 400th overhauled CFM56-1 engine to its customer and joint venture partner China Eastern Airlines, and achievement of 3 million consecutive operation hours without a lost time accident.

"In the past five years, Pratt & Whitney and China Eastern Airlines have built a solid partnership with seamless collaboration and together, we have achieved remarkable progress. Our world-class services are chosen by customers including the third-party airlines and overseas customers around the world," said Roger Retana, general manager, Pratt & Whitney Shanghai Engine Center.

"The development of the Shanghai Engine Center in the past five years is a story of success and growth," said Feng Liang, China Eastern Airlines executive and Pratt & Whitney Shanghai Engine Center's board chairman.  "Combining OEM experience with airline operational knowledge, this strategic partnership between Pratt & Whitney and China Eastern Airlines provides customers with a resource of highly dependable services at enhanced efficiency and competitive cost."

"The milestones that we achieved today reflect the contribution of our employees, the collaboration between Pratt & Whitney and China Eastern Airlines, as well as our commitment to providing the best services and optimal value for our customers," added Retana. "We look forward to continuously building a safe work environment for our employees and further developing the Pratt & Whitney Shanghai Engine Center into the service partner of choice for the industry."

Pratt & Whitney, together with joint venture partner China Eastern Airlines, announced the opening of the high-tech and environmentally-efficient overhaul shop in 2009 as Pratt & Whitney's first engine center in China. The 250,000-square-foot facility was built for efficiency and designed with perfect flow lines using Pratt & Whitney's innovative ACE lean operating system. It meets the Platinum standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system.

Pratt & Whitney's OEM experience combined with the most modern training and tooling allows more than 200 fully qualified Pratt & Whitney Shanghai Engine Center technicians to overhaul engines to the industry's highest standards. Airworthiness approval has been granted by the Federal Aviation Administration, European Aviation Safety Administration and Civil Aviation Authority of China and others.

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