Réunion-based Air Austral celebrated the entry into service of their first Airbus A220-300 powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF engines on Thursday. The carrier originally placed an order for three of the aircraft type in 2019.
On Thursday (August 26, 2021), Pratt & Whitney announced the entry into service of Air Austral’s first Airbus A220-300 powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF™ engines. Exclusively powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF engines, the Airbus A220 offers lower operating costs versus previous generation aircraft including a double digit reduction in fuel and carbon emissions. Additionally, the engines provide a 75 percent reduction in noise footprint and NOx emissions which are 50 percent below the ICAO CAEP/6 regulation. Currently, Air Austral operates an ATR 72-500 powered by PW100 turboprop engines, as well as two Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners equipped with Pratt & Whitney APS5000 APUs.
In Thursday’s announcement, Air Austral’s CEO, Marie-Joseph Male, said,
“We are excited to fly our first Airbus A220 with Pratt & Whitney GTF engines, becoming the first French operator to fly this type of aircraft. This game-changing engine and aircraft combination will deliver superior economics to develop our network, quiet flights for our passengers, and low fuel burn and emissions for our environment. We look forward to flying this aircraft for years to come.”
Also commenting on the A220 entry into service with Air Austral, Pratt & Whitney’s Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Rick Deurloo, said,
“We are honored to extend our relationship with Air Austral. We look forward to supporting them with the GTF-powered A220 as they return to growth, add frequencies and expand their network.”
A division of Raytheon Technologies Corporation (NYSE: RTX), Pratt & Whitney is a global leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft and helicopter engines and auxiliary power units (APUs) for commercial, military, regional, business and general aviation aircraft. Pratt & Whitney is known for their innovative technologies such as the Geared Turbofan (GTF) commercial aircraft engine and the PW800 business jet engine. In 2020, the company celebrated their 95th year in business.
Source: Pratt & Whitney