Page 63 - World Airnews Magazine August 2020

NEWS DIGITAL

PRATT & WHITNEY FINDS SILVER

LINING IN COVID-19 PANDEMIC

by Gregory Polek

our GTF fleet and taking a look said. “They are a GTF customer; 75 percent of the LPT upgrades
at what that configuration they have the A220 airplane and 82 percent of the accessory
While virtually no one looked like pre-Covid and they’re flying today, and they gearbox replacements on the
welcomed the near pause making sure when we exit have an order book with us on 1,282 PW1100Gs in the field.
in airline operations this this calendar year, and as we the GTF for their A321neos. It expects to finish 90 percent
year caused by the Covid-19 go forward, we are able to They also have an MRO of the needed LPT fixes and all
upgrade that configuration.”
of the roughly 200 remaining
partnership with us, similar
pandemic, one of the industry’s Areas of focus include the to how Lufthansa does. As accessory gearboxes by the end
prominent engine companies PW1100G’s accessory gearbox, Delta’s MRO load came down, of the year.
has managed to find a silver an airworthiness directive for it freed up capacity for them “We’re on track to get this
lining. which the FAA issued late last to say, ‘Hey, you know what? fleet into a much better place
Pratt & Whitney, whose year. Deurloo reported good I’ll accelerate these LPT quick as we enter 2021,” Deurloo
geared turbofan (GTF) progress on that replacement turns.’ They stepped up.” stressed.
family for years suffered from program, as well as on one that Deurloo reported that Pratt Separately, Pratt continues
technical snags, has seized the involved the LPT, the blades “feels comfortable” that it work on fixes to problems
opportunity to aggressively on which required a material will have gained access to discovered with the PW1500G’s
address some of the GTF’s change. all the A320neos at Indian first rotating low-pressure
latest problems, perhaps most “That’s a known challenge - airlines Indigo and Go Air for compressor stage following a
notably those involving the we have a new material going LPT retrofits by the August series of in-flight shutdowns at
main low-pressure turbine into that third-stage LPT; we’re 31 deadline set by India’s Swiss International
(LPT) in the PW1100G—one setting up quick turns,” he Directorate General of Civil Airlines and Air Baltic. Last
of the engines that power the explained. Aviation (DGCA). The agency October Swiss temporarily
Airbus A320neo. “One of the things we did as extended the deadline for grounded its 29-strong fleet
Speaking with AIN just before a company during this crisis is replacing the LPTs from the end of Airbus A220-300s and -100s
the start of the July 20 to 24 FIA committing ourselves to the of May to allow for disruptions after experiencing three engine
Connect event, Pratt & Whitney MRO piece and upgrading the caused by the nationwide shutdowns over four months.
chief commercial officer Rick GTF fleet across all platforms Covid-19 lockdown. The most recent incident
Deurloo expressed satisfaction - Neo, A220, E2 -to take the “It’s actually progressing happened this past February,
with the progress his company opportunity to focus on the well,” he said. “We’re taking when the crew of an Air Baltic
has made in entire fleet.” advantage because as you A220-300 had to shut down an
replacing the parts in the Deurloo described the effort know, India has been for a engine and divert to Bordeaux
PW1100Gs in the field during to solve the LPT problem as great part of this time on a while en route from the Latvian
a time of low utilization due to a “surgical strike” in which lockdown. So it gave us the capital Riga to Malaga in Spain.
the pandemic. the company managed to opportunity to get access to Pratt has determined an
“I can’t tell you how many access excess capacity at MRO their fleet as well. They’re now appropriate fix and has finished
airline executives have said to partners caused by the Covid- back in operations, but they’re the first round of associated
me, ‘Don’t ruin this opportuni- 19-associated lull in operations. not 100 percent. They’re slowly testing, said Deurloo, who
ty,’” said Deurloo. “And we are “Let me give you a great introducing the fleet in.” added that the company has
actually laser-focused on taking example - Delta Air Lines,” he So far, Pratt has completed managed to limit the number of

World Airnews | August Extra 2020
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