Pratt & Whitney has signed two 10-year contracts with Delta Air Lines to provide engine maintenance, material and aftermarket support. Valued at more than $1 billion, the agreements are focused on developing and implementing repairs in Delta's and its customers' fleets.
Pratt & Whitney has signed two 10-year contracts with Delta Air Lines to provide engine maintenance, material and aftermarket support. Valued at more than $1 billion, the agreements are focused on developing and implementing repairs in Delta's and its customers' fleets.
"These agreements provide long-term value to Delta and help to solidify the continued partnership between both companies," said President-Commercial Engines & Global Services Todd Kallman. "Bringing our OEMRO approach, we can provide knowledge as the PW4000 manufacturer, as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul flexibility through our Global Service Partners network."
Pratt's Commercial Engines & Global Services unit will cover material replacement and parts repair for more than 80 PW4000 engines in Delta's fleet under an Inventory Logistics Program agreement. The unit will handle material replacement and part repairs for Delta TechOps' MRO customers under a second contract.
Pratt also signed a long-term deal with Delta for provision of JT8D-219 engine parts. The $50 million agreement covers most JT8D-219 material including compressor and turbine blades and vanes. Pratt will stock the parts in a consignment warehouse within Delta TechOps' Atlanta facility.
"Pratt & Whitney is committed to being a leader in an increasingly competitive marketplace, and we continue to explore together new and innovative ways to reduce our total cost within the supply chain," Delta GM-Supply Chain Jason Adams remarked. "Additionally, we were able to conclude this deal in a very short timeframe, untypical of our industry for programs of this magnitude."
In December, the OEM received US FAR33 certification approving the airworthiness of its PW4000 Advantage70 engine, projected to deliver a 2% thrust increase while decreasing fuel consumption by 1%.
"We have met all FAA requirements for FAR33, the biggest hurdle to overcome in an engine development program," Commercial Engines & Global Services VP-Product Line Management Matthew Bromberg noted. "The European Aviation Safety Agency CS25 process has also been initiated for the PW4000 Advantage 70 engine on the A330."
Slated to enter service on PW4000-100s in mid-2009, the Advantage70 upgrade is expected to boost durability and reduce maintenance costs. The new engines will fly first on the A330-200 and A330-300.