India’s newest airline, FLY91, has signed a multi-year engine services agreement with Pratt & Whitney Canada for PW127M engine MRO. The PW127M engines power the airlines’ fleet of two ATR 72-600 turboprop passenger aircraft.
The airline launched its commercial operations on March 18. However, eyeing India’s robust domestic aviation market, the airline is aiming for rapid expansion of domestic routes and plans to add another six 72-600s in the next six months.
FLY91 Managing Director and CEO Manoj Chacko says the engine MRO agreement will be a significant step in providing dependable service from its base at Goa’s Manohar International Airport. “We are committed to reliable, sustainable and scalable air transportation services to build India’s regional connectivity and strongly believe that our ATR aircraft powered by [Pratt & Whitney Canada’s] PW127M engines will help us achieve just that,” he says.
Pratt & Whitney Canada operates 50 owned and designated engine and APU facilities worldwide, including a Pratt-owned facility in Singapore that services PW100-family engines. Earlier this year, Pratt & Whitney established a new research and development center in Bengaluru and the OEM has faced increasing pressure to establish a dedicated engine MRO facility in India. Within Pratt & Whitney Canada’s global service network, Taj Air—which focuses on PW300-family engine services—is the only designated engine maintenance facility in the country. Pratt & Whitney also operates field offices in Mumbai and New Delhi
According to Pratt & Whitney, PW100-powered regional turboprop aircraft consume 25-40% less fuel and avoid an equal measure of CO2 emissions than similar-sized jets on typical regional routes of 350 mi. or less. The OEM says the engine family powers 90% of all regional turboprop aircraft operating today in the 30-90 passenger category.
—with Lindsay Bjerregaard
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