Aircraft

International Aero Engines believes it can deliver a viable next-generation narrowbody engine despite the divergent design philosophies of its two major shareholders Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce.

P&W is pursuing its highly publicised PW1000G geared turbofan as R-R has recently considered an advanced three-shaft design to power 150-seat aircraft.

IAE chief executive Jon Beatty says he continues to believe the two manufacturers will ultimately use IAE as the outlet to design and produce engines for a clean-sheet narrowbody aircraft.

Dismissing the differences in the approaches by P&W and R-R, Beatty explains that as far back as 25 years ago both manufacturers opted for different paths to powerplant design.

Citing "different proposals by the two stakeholders", chief executive of fellow IAE shareholder MTU Aero Engines Egon Behle acknowledges "there are certainly some obstacles to remove" as IAE crafts its narrowbody strategy.

IAE is conducting an internal study of available engine technologies, and will make a decision accordingly, says Behle.

Both Beatty and Behle believe any decision on powerplant architecture is premature until Airbus and Boeing move closer to a final aircraft design, which could be further out than timelines previously disclosed by the airframers.

Behle notes a declaration by Airbus chief salesman John Leahy of a further pushback of an entry-into-service date beyond 2020 could induce airlines to step-up pressure on airframers to accelerate their new designs.

If customers are successful in convincing one airframer to move a launch date forward, he says, the other is likely to follow suit.