Pratt & Whitney and Frontier Airlines have today unveiled ‘Maria the Bald Eagle’, the carrier’s second A321neo powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF™ engines. The aircraft has been named in honor of Maria Della Posta, the first female to lead a P&W business unit.
On Wednesday (January 25, 2023), Pratt & Whitney announced that Frontier Airlines’ second Airbus A321neo, powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF™ engines, has been named in honor of Maria Della Posta, President of Pratt & Whitney Canada. The aircraft has been named ‘Maria the Bald Eagle’ and celebrates Della Posta, the first female to lead a Pratt & Whitney business unit. Maria joined Pratt & Whitney Canada in 1985, and she has been instrumental in driving a significant business model transformation, customer-centric culture, and focus on sustainability. Based in Montréal, Pratt & Whitney Canada is leading the charge in sustainable aircraft propulsion, including hybrid-electric systems and SAF. The company supplies engines and APUs for aircraft and helicopters, and has over 15,000 customers worldwide.
In Wednesday’s announcment, Frontier Airlines’ President and CEO, Barry Biffle, said,
“Frontier is proud to take delivery of our second A321neo, powered by Pratt & Whitney’s GTF engines. As America’s Greenest Airline, these revolutionary engines are helping us to achieve our very important sustainability goals. We also commend Pratt & Whitney employees for honoring a groundbreaking female leader through their aircraft naming choice and for recognizing the importance of shining a light on women trailblazers in aviation.”
Also commenting on the aircraft naming honor, Pratt & Whitney Canada’s President, Maria Della Posta, said,
“Frontier and Pratt & Whitney share a common mission towards evermore sustainable aviation. At Pratt & Whitney, we seek not just to be the best engine supplier in the world, but also the best for the world. I’m honored to represent the people of Pratt & Whitney, and I’d like to thank them and the thousands of Frontier employees who are doing their part to move aviation toward net zero carbon emissions by 2050.”
Introducing 'Maria the Bald Eagle', Frontier Airlines' Airbus A321neo Powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF Engines - Courtesy Pratt & Whitney
Frontier’s “Maria the Bald Eagle’ is the second of 144 Airbus A320neo Family aircraft (134 purchased/10 leased) for which the carrier has selected the GTF engine. The first GTF-powered A321neo joined Frontier’s fleet in October 2022, and was named ‘Frederick the Bald Eagle’ in honor of Pratt & Whitney’s Founder Frederick B. Rentschler. Frontier’s third GTF-powered aircraft will also be named after a Pratt & Whitney aviation pioneer. Frontier and Pratt & Whitney’s relationship dates back to 1994 when the airline commenced operations with a Boeing 737-200 powered by Pratt and Whitney JT8D engines. The carrier later operated Embraer E170 and E190 aircraft, which were equipped with Pratt & Whitney Canada APS2300 APUs.
The Pratt & Whitney’s GTF engine is the only geared propulsion system delivering industry-leading sustainability benefits, mature dispatch reliability and world-class operating costs. The engine offers the greatest fuel efficiency and lowest GHG emissions for the A320neo Family. GTF-powered aircraft reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 16-20 percent, NOx emissions by 50 percent versus ICAO CAEP/6 emissions regulations and a 75 percent smaller noise footprint compared to prior generation aircraft. The engine is certified to run on 50 percent SAF, and has been successfully tested with 100 percent SAF.
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.
Source: Pratt & Whitney