British Airways has for the last 25 years powered its narrow-body fleet exclusively with engines from CFM International.
Pratt & Whitney says British Airways has selected the company’s geared turbofan engines to power up to 63 new Airbus A320neo aircraft.
It’s a significant win for the East Hartford-based jet engine maker, as British Airways has for the last 25 years powered its narrow-body fleet exclusively with engines from CFM International, a French-American manufacturer.
The deal applies to 33 firm orders and 30 further optioned aircraft.
Pratt will also provide maintenance for the engines through a 12-year services agreement.
"Today marks a pivotal moment and a strong vote of confidence in the GTF engine as the UK's flagship carrier, British Airways, becomes the newest GTF customer," said Rick Deurloo, president of commercial engines for Pratt & Whitney.
Pratt advertises the GTF as delivering 20% lower fuel consumption and a 75% smaller noise footprint compared to the prior generation of engines.
It currently has more than 90 airline customers for the engine, flying 2,800 GTF-powered aircraft, and an order backlog of more than 8,000 engines.
Pratt’s new model, the GTF Advantage engine, is due to enter into service later this year.
The announcement was made at the Farnborough Airshow near London.
