Aircraft

Dozens interested in CSeries and MRJ: Pratt & Whitney

By Victoria Moores

 

Engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney is confident of the market for Bombardier’s CSeries and the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ), saying it has already recieved dozens of expressions of interest.

The two aircraft are to be solely powered by Pratt & Whitney’s geared turbofan engine, which was recently rebranded as the PurePower PW1000G.

Pratt & Whitney Commercial Engines marketing VP Mary Ellen Jones says it has received “dozens” of strong expressions of interest in both new aircraft, partly spurred by spiralling fuel costs.

She adds: “There is a lot of interest in the aircraft and the engine. Both companies had a mock up at the [Farnborough air] show and the traffic has been very heavy. It seems to be very strong in both areas. We are quite optimistic that we will secure additional orders by the end of the year.”

Several leasing companies are among the interested parties, says Jones. She adds that the airframers see this as a very important way of seeding the market.Earlier this month Lufthansa signed a letter of interest covering 60 CSeries aircraft and 30 options, becoming the first customer to be linked with the programme.

The CSeries and the MRJ are both slated to enter service in 2013.Jones is unconcerned that the CSeries programme was launched without a firm order because of the wide-ranging interest in the programme. She adds that Lufthansa is expected to firm-up its order following its September board meeting.

Source: flightglobal.com's sister premium news site Air Transport Intelligence news