Sales "Summits" Tout Fuel Efficiency, Environmental Benefits

Over 180 representatives from airlines, leasing companies and aviation authorities from throughout the Asia-Pacific region gathered recently to review Pratt & Whitney's Geared Turbofan engine development at the company's first Asia-Pacific Next Generation Technology Symposiums in Singapore and Beijing, China. During the summits in each city, Pratt & Whitney engineers provided comprehensive technical briefings on the Geared Turbofan engine's design, performance and development progress.

At the conferences, which were co-hosted by Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation and Bombardier Aerospace, airlines were also briefed on the Mitsubishi Regional Jet and CSeries aircraft programs, both of which are exclusively powered by the Geared Turbofan engine. Pratt & Whitney's Geared Turbofan engine targets double-digit reductions in fuel burn, engine noise, environmental emissions and operating costs.

"With the rising cost of fuel and growing economic and environmental pressures, more airlines are depending on aircraft and engine manufacturers to provide new technologies that will address these industry-wide concerns," said Todd Kallman, president, Pratt & Whitney Commercial Engines. "The Geared Turbofan engine is the right solution at the right time and we are excited to bring this game-changing product to operators around the world."

"It is truly impressive to see the amount of time, resources and money that Pratt & Whitney is investing in the Geared Turbofan Engine program," said Derek Cridland, senior vice president of engineering and maintenance, China Airlines. "With the fuel prices now at more than US$130 a barrel, the role of engine manufacturers like Pratt & Whitney is becoming increasingly critical. The conference offered pertinent information on how the Geared Turbofan engine can perform at its optimum, reduce operating costs and simultaneously be environmentally friendly."

"In the face of crunching oil price, the Next Generation Technology symposium opened up the door to understanding the application of a technology that will certainly help airlines breathe a sigh of relief," said Patrick Neo, Chief Engineer of Singapore-based Jetstar Asia. "With fuel consumption reduced by double digits, the Geared Turbofan engine will be a real sledge hammer on operating costs. I am certain that all airlines will look forward to the Geared Turbofan engine as a new and important benchmark. I look forward to a solid introduction of the Geared Turbofan engine on the Mitsubishi Regional Jet and Bombardier CSeries aircraft."

"As a long-time partner of Pratt & Whitney, we are absolutely thrilled to see that the company is taking the leading role in introducing game changing new technology," said Tang Bing, general manager for engineering, China Southern Airlines.

"It is great that new advances in engine types like the Geared Turbofan engine are being designed to offer airlines a significant reduction in fuel burn, lower emissions and lower operating costs, all of which remain a priority for the industry," said Chan Mun Chung, Engineering Manager at Silk Air.

"The Geared Turbofan engine represents the commitment of Pratt & Whitney to be the industry leader in technology innovation," said Li Hai, president, China Aviation Supplies Holding Company.

In a Geared Turbofan engine, a state-of-the-art gear system allows the engine's fan to operate at a different speed than the low-pressure compressor and turbine, resulting in greater fuel efficiency and a slower fan speed for reduced noise. The Geared Turbofan engine builds on more than 20 years of technology development with improvements in every major module.

Pratt & Whitney's Geared Turbofan demonstrator engine recently completed a 250 hour ground test program. The engine will begin flight testing mid-year on the company's B747 flight test bed, followed by additional flight testing on an Airbus-owned A340 later this year.

FMI: www.pw.utc.com