East Hartford aeroparts manufacturer Pratt & Whitney has been selected by JetBlue Airways to provide its geared turbofan (GTF) engine to power an additional 45 Airbus A320neo family aircraft.
Pratt & Whitney, a subsidiary of Farmington-based United Technologies Corp., said it will now provide a total of 85 GTF-powered aircraft, which include both A32neo and A321neo models. JetBlue previously ordered 40 GTF-powered A320neo aircraft.
Pratt announced it will also provide JetBlue with engine maintenance under a 15-year “EngineWise” service agreement.
Jeff Martin, JetBlue’s executive vice president of operations, said the agreement is an investment into the carrier’s future, and commended Pratt’s record of providing a “next generation engine” with the Airbus A320neo family.
The Pratt engines, Martin said, will maximize JetBlue aircraft’s efficiency, provide fuel savings and reduce its carbon emissions.
Since its inception in 2016, Pratt officials said the GTF engine has reduced fuel burn by 16 percent, lowered nitrogen oxide emissions by 50 percent to the regulatory standard and dropped the noise footprint by 75 percent.
