Airlines

Volaris Selects Pratt & Whitney GTF™ Engines to Power an Additional 64 Airbus A321neo Aircraft

Today, Volaris, a subsidiary of RTX, and Pratt & Whitney announced that the airline has chosen GTF engines to power an additional 64 A321neo aircraft. Through a long-term contract with EngineWise® Maintenance, Pratt & Whitney will also offer Volaris with engine maintenance. The airline’s prior choice of GTF engines for 153 A320neo family aircraft takes Volaris’ total commitment to 217 GTF-powered purchased and leased aircraft.

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Enrique Beltranena, CEO of Volaris, stated that the new GTF-powered A321neo aircraft “will drive our growth while being mindful of our environmental footprint.” “With this engine-and-aircraft combination, we’ll be able to fly even more passengers, farther, and at some of the lowest costs, fuel consumption, and emissions per seat in the Americas.”

Low-cost carrier Volaris is a subsidiary of Indigo Partners with its headquarters in Mexico City. It was the first airline in North America to fly the A320neo, and it presently runs 53 V2500®-powered A320ceo family aircraft and 70 GTF-powered A320neo family aircraft. About 600,000 metric tonnes of carbon emissions, 60 million gallons (200 million liters) of fuel, and more than a million kilograms of NOx emissions have all been saved by the airline by using GTF engines.

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According to Rick Deurloo, president of Commercial Engines at Pratt & Whitney, “Volaris knows how important low fuel consumption and emissions are to their business model and environmental leadership. Volaris is a leading low-cost carrier with a strong focus on sustainability.” The fact that Volaris chose the GTF engine for this follow-on order “is a testament to the value the engine is already delivering today, and we look forward to powering the airline’s expansion in the years to come,” said the manufacturer.

Airlines

S7 Group Begins Fan Blade Production for Western Engine Models

The privately-owned Russian aerospace giant S7 Group has reportedly commenced production of blades for Western-built aero engines at its subsidiary, the Berdsk Electromechanical Plant (BEMZ), located in Novosibirsk.

This development, reported by the Russian aviation publication ATO.ru, marks a significant step for the company amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.BEMZ has started manufacturing composite fan blades compatible with jet turbine engines, including the CFM International CFM56, which powers popular aircraft like the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 family.

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The technology for restoring blades of gas turbine engines used in Airbus and Boeing aircraft was previously developed by the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics and is now being implemented in the production of new aircraft parts at BEMZ.

Currently, BEMZ focuses on producing parts essential for maintaining the airworthiness of civil aircraft. Over the past year and a half, the plant has manufactured approximately 3,500 structural elements and components for replacement on foreign aircraft, which are utilized by airlines such as S7 Airlines, Pobeda, Aurora, and Aeroflot.

The facility is undergoing expansion, with two stages of an investment program totaling 2 billion roubles already completed. These developments are likely geared toward producing blades for the CFM56 engines, which equip more than half of S7’s operational fleet, including 28 Airbus A320-family aircraft and 19 Boeing 737-800s.

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Vasily Yurchenko, CEO of Berdsk Electromechanical Plant, emphasized the shift in focus towards maintaining the airworthiness of the Western-made fleet. The plant has delivered thousands of components to S7 and other Russian carriers since 2022. Notably, according to Russia’s Air Operators Association, 89% of the country’s passengers in 2023 traveled aboard foreign-made aircraft.

Future plans include serious investments to transform the plant into a modern, high-tech aircraft manufacturing facility. In addition to engine blades, BEMZ is also known for producing various spare parts for aircraft, reinforcing its role in the Russian aviation industry as it adapts to new manufacturing needs.