Wizz Air Receives First Airbus A321neo Aircraft Powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF Engines
HAMBURG, GERMANY, MARCH 7, 2019 – Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX), and Wizz Air Hungary Ltd. (Wizz Air) celebrated delivery of the airline’s first Airbus A321neo aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF engines. This delivery marks the first in Wizz Air’s total firm order of 110 GTF-powered A321neo aircraft with purchase rights for up to 90 more. Pratt & Whitney will also provide Wizz Air with engine maintenance through a long-term EngineWise™ Comprehensive service agreement.
Speaking at the delivery ceremony in Hamburg, József Váradi, Wizz Air CEO said, “Today we approach the beginning of a new era in Wizz Air’s history. We are proud to welcome our first GTF-powered A321neo aircraft to our growing fleet. We are convinced that the A321neo will be a game-changing aircraft for Wizz Air as we continue to grow and expand our market reach across and beyond Europe. This next-step technology aircraft will enable us to become a greener airline while lowering our operating costs.”
Wizz Air, the largest low-cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe, currently operates a fleet of 108 V2500®-powered A320ceo family aircraft, and has been exclusively powered by Pratt & Whitney engines since its founding in 2003.
“We truly appreciate the trust that Wizz Air has placed in our engines and services, and the strong relationship we have built together since the airline’s inception,” said Rick Deurloo, senior vice president of Sales, Marketing and Customer Support at Pratt & Whitney. “Today we are honored to celebrate this special milestone, and we are confident that the industry leading GTF technology will provide Wizz Air with fuel savings and environmental benefits for many years to come.”
Since entering into service in early 2016, the GTF engine has demonstrated its promised ability to reduce fuel burn by 16 percent, to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 50 percent to the regulatory standard, and to lower the noise footprint by 75 percent.
About Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft and helicopter engines, and auxiliary power units. United Technologies Corp., based in Farmington, Connecticut, provides high-technology systems and services to the building and aerospace industries. To learn more about UTC, visit its website at www.utc.com, or follow the company on Twitter: @UTC. To learn more about the GTF engine, visit www.pwgtf.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning future business opportunities. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to changes in levels of demand in the aerospace industry, in levels of air travel, and in the number of aircraft to be built; challenges in the design, development, production support, performance and realization of the anticipated benefits of advanced technologies (including our expected returns under customer contracts); as well as other risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those detailed from time to time in United Technologies Corp.’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings.
