Sichuan Airlines becomes first Chinese airline to directly order PurePower engines

BEIJING – Sichuan Airlines has signed a Memorandum of Understanding for Pratt & Whitney‘s PurePower PW1100G-JM engines to power its fleet of 24 A320neo aircraft. The fleet will consist of 15 purchased and nine leased A320neo aircraft, making Sichuan the first Chinese airline to select PurePower PW1100G-JM engines to power its purchased A320neo aircraft. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2017. The PurePower engine family has completed more than 22,000 hours and 38,000 cycles of testing. Pratt & Whitney is a United Technologies Corp. company.
 

“We look forward to entering this new chapter of our company’s history with Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower engines powering our A320neo aircraft fleet since becoming the launch customer for the V2500 engine in China 20 years ago,” said Li Haiying, chairman of Sichuan Airlines. “As Sichuan Airlines continues to grow and expand, we strive to find innovative ways to become more efficient, and Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower engines will help us achieve this goal.“
 

“Since its conception, the PurePower Geared Turbofan engine reshaped the aerospace industry due to the engine’s advanced technology,” said Greg Gernhardt, president, Pratt & Whitney Commercial Engines. “We are excited to continue our collaboration with Sichuan Airlines and have the game-changing PurePower engine power their fleet, which will provide them considerable operational benefits and unmatched performance for years to come.“
 

Based in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province in South-Western China, Sichuan Airlines has a network to some 200 domestic destinations including Beijing, Harbin, Hangzhou, Xi’an and Sanya as well as international routes to Asia, Australia, and North America.