IndiGo, Pratt & Whitney sign 10-year engine maintenance contract

New Delhi: InterGlobe Aviation Ltd-led IndiGo and Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) have signed a 10-year engine maintenance contract for regional ATR planes.

The move shows IndiGo plans to expand its regional footprint with a longer horizon in mind.

IndiGo has chosen PW127M engines that will power the airline’s new fleet of ATR72-600 aircraft serving regional routes in India. The 10-year contract will be applicable from the date of each engine’s entry into service and can be extended thereafter, the engine maker said in a statement.

“This FMP (Fleet Management Program) will provide IndiGo with hands-on support as the engines progressively enter into service on the airline’s new ATR72-600 fleet,” said Frédéric Lefebvre, vice-president, regional airlines, P&WC.

“IndiGo also chose to equip each of its new aircraft with our FAST™ (Flight, Acquisition, Storage and Transmission) prognostics solution—including the newly certified propeller vibration trend monitoring capability. FAST is helping regional airlines around the world maximize aircraft availability, achieve compliance with their maintenance requirements and optimize their maintenance scheduling.”

P&WC is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. 

The maintenance plan will provide customized support to meet the company’s technical and commercial needs.

“IndiGo is a key operator for P&WC in India and the Asia Pacific market in general,” says Lefebvre. “This FMP agreement allows us to take a larger profile in India’s growing aviation industry.”

IndiGo announced this month that it will begin ATR operations with flights between cities on its existing network of Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Mangalore, Madurai and Nagpur and two new tier-II cities, Tirupati and Rajahmundry. The first ATR flight will commence from Hyderabad, starting 21 December 2017. 

IndiGo is also introducing new ATR flights on its existing network which includes Chennai-Mangalore-Chennai, Hyderabad-Mangalore-Hyderabad and Hyderabad-Nagpur-Hyderabad routes. 

The airline, which has bought 50 of these planes, is also expected to bid for regional UDAN scheme and fly these smaller planes on such routes.

UDAN—or Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik which loosely translates as let the common man fly—is a regional aviation scheme that encourages airlines to fly to underserved airports at low fares. The airlines have to sell a certain number of seats (between nine and 40 currently) on such flights at a maximum of Rs2,500 per hour of flying. In return, they receive a subsidy from the government.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.