Goa-based regional airline FLY91 and Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) has signed a multi-year engine services agreement for the maintenance, repair and overhaul of the PW127M engines that power its fleet of ATR 72-600 turboprop passenger aircraft.
FLY91, India’s new regional airline brand operated by Just Udo Aviation Private Limited, intends to increase its fleet by the end of 2024 to provide local connectivity to underserved cities in the country. Pratt & Whitney is an RTX business.
Fly91, which currently operates two ATR 72-600 aircraft, is confident of adding six planes within the next six months.
“Availability is a key factor by which airlines are evaluated from a customer service perspective,” said Irene Makris, vice-president of Customer Service at Pratt & Whitney Canada. “The ability of a commercial aircraft to take off as scheduled often depends on the readiness and reliability of its engines. We have 40 years of experience in the maintenance of the PW100 engine family and we’re confident we can help FLY91 enjoy excellent dispatch reliability for its ATR 72-600 fleet and fully meet passenger expectations.”
"The agreement with Pratt & Whitney Canada is a significant step in assuring we can provide our customers with dependable regional air travel from our base at Goa’s Manohar International Airport,” said Manoj Chacko, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of FLY91.
“We are committed to reliable, sustainable, and scalable air transportation services to build India’s regional connectivity. We strongly believe that our ATR aircraft powered by P&WC’s PW127M engines will help us achieve just that,” he added.
PW100-powered regional turboprop aircraft consume 25-40 percent less fuel and avoid an equal measure of CO2 emissions than similar-sized jets on typical regional routes of 350 miles or less.
The P&WC Customer Service network consists of 50 owned and designated facilities, supported by approximately 2,000 P&WC employees around the globe.
The airline has already been allotted its first set of routes under the government’s regional air connectivity scheme UDAN, the release said. Under UDAN, the airline will connect Sindhudurg, Jalgaon, Nanded in Maharashtra and Agatti in Lakshadweep.
LY91 (Just Udo Aviation Pvt Ltd) is headquartered in Goa. The airline will be largely targeting Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns across India.
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