TAP Maintenance and Engineering Brazil has entered into a new collaboration agreement with Pratt & Whitney Canada covering PW100 and PT6A engines.
The agreement is designed to create a structure for PW&C turboprop engine overhaul in Central and South America.
Support for heavy airframe maintenance of the ATR 42/72 turboprops, powered by the PW100, already exists in the region. TAM MRO introduced heavy airframe maintenance for the ATR 42/72 in June, and Brazilian ATR operator TRIP also has heavy airframe maintenance capability for the aircraft.
Under the new five year agreement between TAP and P&WC engine maintenance will be performed at TAP's Porto Alegre facility while P&WC do Brasil in Sorocaba is taking responsibility for selling and marketing the engine overhaul services, managing customer relationships and supplying spare parts and technical assistance.
TAP explains its new agreement with P&WC "responds to request from P&WC customers for OEM-provided overhaul capabilities in South America and offers them fast turnaround times and lower costs". TAP has also agreed to allow P&WC do Brasil to test overhauled PT6A engines powering Super Tucano trainers used by the Brazilian Air Force at its Port Alegre site.
TAP's PW100 overhaul capabilities could generate interest from one of the carrier's existing customers. Brazilian new entrant Azul has ordered 20 ATR 72-600s and recently said it envisioned using TAP to support the new turboprop fleet.
TAP has an existing relationship with Azul after earlier this year performing a 6,000h check on one of the carrier's Embraer E-190s, and the carrier has contracted TAP to perform 4,000h and 6,000h checks on 15 E-190s/195s. In May of this year TAP became the first Embraer authorised service centre in Latin America.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
