Pratt & Whitney and Air New Zealand hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday for a $150 million 14,000 square meter expansion of their Christchurch Engine Centre. The expansion will include MRO capabilities for the GTF engine in New Zealand.
On Thursday (November 7, 2024), Pratt & Whitney announced that, in partnership with Air New Zealand, they hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for a $150 million 14,000 square meter of expansion of their Christchurch Engine Centre. The expansion will add MRO capabilities for the Pratt &Whitney GTF™ engine in New Zealand, with capacity for the overhaul of up to 140 GTF engines annually by 2032. Construction of the facility expansion starts this month, and the first GTF engine overhaul is expected to take place in Q4 2026. The Christchurch Engine Centre was founded by Air New Zealand in 1948. In 2001, the carrier partnered with Pratt & Whitney to develop a joint venture focused on providing MRO capabilities for JT8D and V2500 engines. Currently the centre employs over 400 professionals and has overhauled more than 1,500 International Aero Engines (IAE) V2500 engines.
In Thursday’s announcement, New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, said,
“This project between Air New Zealand and global aviation leader Pratt & Whitney marks a significant investment to New Zealand's economy, helps expand our aviation industrial capability, and adds 200 high value jobs into the Canterbury region.”
Also commenting on the Christchurch Engine Centre expansion, Pratt & Whitney’s President, Shane Eddy, said,
“The Christchurch Engine Centre has a proven track record of delivering exceptional performance and quality with a highly capable workforce. With the Asia-Pacific region projected to experience the highest aviation growth globally over the next 20 years, it is a strategic imperative for us to invest here and partner with Air New Zealand as we continue to expand the GTF MRO network in support of the growing fleet.”
Air New Zealand’s Chair, Dame Therese Walsh, added,
“The introduction of new GTF repair capability will be completed in 2026, and the Christchurch Engine Centre will maintain, repair or overhaul both the V2500 and PW1100G-JM engines for many years to come. As our fleet of Airbus aircraft continues to grow, with another four expected to arrive over the next three years, the importance of this facility to our airline also grows allowing us to continue to deliver on our purpose of connecting Kiwis with each other and the world.”
Pratt & Whitney GTF engine powered aircraft deliver a fuel use and emissions reduction by up to 20 percent compared to previous generation aircraft, and also offer a 75 percent smaller noise footprint.
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. Arlington, Virginia-based RTX is the world’s largest aerospace and defense company, employing over 185,000 team members worldwide. The company’s industry-leading business units include Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney and Raytheon. In 2023, RTX generated sales totaling $68.9 billion.
Source: Pratt & Whitney, an RTX company
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