Pratt & Whitney, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Aero Engines Ltd. Announce Second Operational GTF MRO Facility in Japan
The Pratt & Whitney GTF MRO network this week welcomed its second operational facility in Japan, and 11th worldwide, with the addition of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Aero Engines Ltd. (MHIAEL), part of Japanese Aero Engine Corporation. MHIAEL, a Pratt & Whitney maintenance partner since the Wasp engine and most recently the PW4000 and V2500 engines, have inducted their first PW1100G-JM engine at their facility in Komaki, Japan. This is part of the overall expansion of their facility, adding the latest technologies to increase efficiency. Having completed the industrialization process, secured the required certifications, and finished the necessary training, the shop is ready to provide full disassembly, assembly and test capability for the A320neo family, bringing more immediate support for customers in the Asia-Pacific region.
“We are constantly evaluating the size and shape of the GTF MRO network to ensure that it can support the growing fleet and customer demand for aftermarket service anywhere in the world. Since 2019, the number of shops in the network has doubled,” said Kevin Kirkpatrick, vice president of Aftermarket Global Operations at Pratt & Whitney. “MHIAEL’s experience has already been demonstrated by their work supporting Pratt & Whitney’s PW4000 engine and the IAE V2500 engine. We are excited to be working with them in a larger capacity.”
“We are pleased to announce completion of the expansion work. As a member of IAE network, we are ready and are excited to support the increasing demands of PW1100G-JM overhauls,” said Masanori Ushida, president & chief executive officer at MHIAEL.
MHIAEL is one of several facilities in Asia supporting GTF MRO work, alongside Pratt & Whitney’s Eagle Services Asia (ESA) in Singapore, IHI in Japan and MTU Maintenance Zhuhai in China. When it comes to world traffic growth, Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region. China alone is home to one of the largest GTF fleets with 11 airlines operating more than 200 A320neo family aircraft.
The expanding GTF MRO network is comprised of the industry’s leading MRO companies. There are currently 11 active GTF MRO engine centers worldwide. The GTF MRO network is part of Pratt & Whitney’s EngineWise solutions, which provide engine operators with a variety of aftermarket services resulting in long-term, sustainable value.
