Pratt & Whitney Canada and ATR have today announced an agreement to collaborate on an initiative to achieve 100 percent SAF readiness for PW127 series engines, including the new PW127XT, which will power Next-gen ATR deliveries by 2025.
On Thursday (February 9, 2023), Pratt & Whitney Canada announced that they have partnered with ATR, the world’s leading regional aircraft manufacturer, on an initiative to achieve 100 percent SAF readiness in PW127 engines, including the new PW127XT, which will power ATR’s next-generation aircraft deliveries by 2025. In June 2022, Pratt & Whitney Canada, ATR and Braathens jointly conducted a successful test flight on an ATR 72-600 with both PW127M engines fueled exclusively with SAF. During the next phase of the collaboration, ATR is aiming to achieve authorization to use 100 percent SAF compatible fuel for their ATR 42 and ATR 72 aircraft. Pratt & Whitney Canada and ATR will now conduct compatibility studies and engineering analyses, along with aircraft ground and flight tests. Certification for 100 percent SAF will ultimately depend on ASTM International defining a specification for that fuel, which could happen as soon as 2025.
In Today’s announcement, Pratt & Whitney Canada’s Vice President – Sales and Marketing, Anthony Rossi, said,
“Our collaboration with ATR will be underway throughout 2023 and 2024 and builds on our recent 100% SAF test flight with Braathens Regional Airlines, which was an industry first for regional aviation. Alongside our efforts to continually enhance aircraft engine efficiency, SAF has a critical role to play on the journey to achieve the aviation industry’s goal of net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050. While all Pratt & Whitney Canada engines have already been certified for 50% SAF blends for more than a decade, ensuring readiness to operate with 100% SAF blends in future will allow us to maximize their potential for decarbonization.”
Also commenting on the collaboration, ATR’s Chief Executive Officer, Nathalie Tarnaud Laude, added,
“It is our collective responsibility as an industry to continue taking action to ensure that the vital connections provided by our aircraft across the globe are operated sustainably. We have recently demonstrated with our collaborators, Braathens Regional Airlines and Pratt & Whitney Canada, that ATR aircraft are SAF-ready. Now, we need to continue to join forces to increase SAF availability, as part of our common journey towards net-zero.”
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